Rise of a Champion
by Astral Kitsune
Summary: Welcome to the world of Pokemon. A world filled with both delight, despair, hopes and dreams... and of course Pokemon! In this story Ash starts off on his journey around Kanto without Pikachu, instead starting with a different Pokemon who will take him to the very top...
1. Chapter One

Rise of a Champion Chapter One:

The world of Pokémon. A place of adventure, triumph and dreams. A world inhabited by creatures called Pokémon. For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for battling. For all people though they are friends and allies who they form strong bonds of friendship with.

People who use Pokémon for battling are called trainers. They catch Pokémon and help them reach their full potential. Those who bring out the very best in their partners are those who rise to the top as Champions.

Now a new tale is beginning to unfold. A story of a young boy and his Pokémon who will rise to the top. They will encounter new friends along the way, hardships, and maybe even love. This is the story of Ash Ketchum from Pallet town; a future Pokémon Champion

-Line Break-

A TV screen flared in a multitude of colours as a beam of light flashed across the screen. A young boy, no older than seven or eight, sat entranced in front of the display, analysing every detail of what he was watching.

A small, yellow mouse with red patches on its cheeks was covered in electricity as bolts of lightning arced around it in a beautiful but deadly display. Across from the small rodent was a large sea serpent, writhing in pain from the received electric attack. The dragon-looking serpent was mostly blue and had a dark blue crest on its head. If you stared closely enough you could notice the large fangs which seemed to line its mouth.

"Gyarados!" A man shouted behind the great beast as it collapsed into the pool, only to resurface moments later with swirls in its eyes. Burns marks were clearly visible along the Gyarados' body, indicating it had received multiple attacks.

On the other side of the field a man in a red vest and cap was hugging the small mouse, known as a Pikachu, who in return was nuzzling its trainer's face.

"We did it Pi," the man murmured as he hugged his Pokémon gratefully. Overhead on a scoreboard you could see a picture of his opponent's Gyarados fade, indicating it was defeated. Now the picture matched the other five spaces on his scoreboard, indicating that the man had been defeated. On the other side of the board were five spaces which were also faded but one picture was still illuminated; the man's Pikachu.

"And after that close battle we have a new Champion!" An announcer roared from above before clearing his throat. "Now for a round of applause for-"

"Ash Ketchum!" A voice shouted as the TV was switched off. The small boy, now identified as Ash, turned around in shock, meeting the glare of a women who was in her early thirties. Brown eyes stared at him in frustration as the boy scrambled to his feet.

"I thought I told you to get to bed two hours ago!" The women told Ash sternly, tucking a mahogany brown strand of her hair behind her ear in order to get it out of her face. At this point the boy shuffled onto his feet and met her own hazel brown eyes with his own.

"Sorry mum," Ash murmured at the women, whose firm gaze softened into a motherly smile at his words. The women walked over to her son and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. The boy relaxed under her grip as waves of exhaustion hit him.

"It's ok honey, now let's get you to bed," his mother whispered into his ear. As the two of them turned around to leave the room the door started to swing open, revealing the man who had won the battle on the TV with his Pikachu.

"It's ok Delia I'll take him up," the man begun as he rubbed his raven black hair absent-mindedly. A small yawn escaped his lips as he started to stretch out his joints. The women smiled at this and walked past the man, kissing his cheek as she went.

"Thanks Red," Delia whispered as she left the room. A soft thump could be heard as she walked up the stairs to their room.

Ash's disappointed look became more excited as he watched the man walk towards him. He looked entirely different from on the TV, having discarded his red vest and cap for some comfortable night clothes.

"Dad I watched your battle with Blue again and it was so cool!" Ash said, almost on the brink of shouting with excitement. The man smiled at this and ruffled the boy's raven black hair.

"That was one exciting battle, you've got that right," his Dad replied with a faraway look in his eyes, remembering the battle that won him his title.

"Dad…" Ash began quietly, yawning slightly as Red picked him up. The older man's brown eyes stared down at his son as he started to fall asleep. Placing his son on his back, Red started to walk up the stair towards Ash's room.

"I 'wanna' be just like you…" Ash whispered as his eye lids started to close further. The man's eyes lit up with happiness as he held his son. Entering Ash's room Red noticed all the different posters of Pokémon scattered across the walls.

"You're not going to be like me Ash," Red whispered as his son's eyes started to droop shut. The champion carefully laid the boy across his bed and tucked him in. Softly rubbing Ash's head Red got up and left the room.

"You'll be greater than what I ever was," the man finished before turning off the light and closing the door behind him.

\- The Next Morning –

The sun shined brightly over Pallet Town as the day began. Pidgey could be seen flying across the clear, blue sky as a cool breeze blew through the small town. In the distance you could just make out the sound of laughter from one small boy.

"Pikachu!" The boy cried as he nuzzled the small mouse Pokémon. In response the Pikachu started to smile and made a satisfied "Chaaa," as the boy continued to laugh in joy.

Standing to the side of the two of them was Red, smiling as he watched his son play with his Pikachu. Ash had always loved playing with his Pokémon, regardless of whether it was his Pikachu or one of his bigger Pokémon such as his Venusaur.

Without warning the boy and Pokémon pair started to run off into the distance, Ash laughing as he followed the electric mouse.

"Dad!" Ash shouted as the two ran off in the direction of the forest surrounding Pallet Town. "Pikachu and I are going to explore the woods," the boy finished as he carried on running into the forest.

Red watched with a small smile on his face, reminded of how he was as a child. "Keep him safe Pi," Red muttered as he walked back towards the Ketchum residence.

Meanwhile Ash and Pikachu were exploring the forest land around Pallet Town. The boy's mouth was open in awe at the plethora of Pokémon they had found. Pidgey nested in the branches of the trees whilst other, smaller Pokémon, such as Rattata, scuttled along the floor, darting in and out of bushes. Pikachu was still bouncing ahead of Ash as it started to make its way further into the forest.

A lone Beedrill hovered past above their heads, its long, conical stingers held in front of it as it zipped between the trees.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered as it stood up its hind legs, ears twitching slightly as it listened out for danger. His raven-haired friend suddenly stop staring at the masses of Pokémon and started to listen too.

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted as it started to run off. Ash broke into a sprint after the small mouse as fast as his seven year old legs could carry him.

"P-Pikachu wait up!" Ash panted as he followed the electric mouse through the forest, pushing stray branches out of his face as he tried to keep up. As the two of them kept travelling through the forest the distinct sound of water crashing against rocks could be heard. Pikachu abruptly stop sprinting, causing Ash to almost trip over the small Pokémon.

"Pika-Chu!" Pikachu exclaimed, frantically waving its arms around. Ash cocked his head to a side before he looked around him.

The clearing which they had reached had a large waterfall running directly through the centre of it. Small shrubs grew either side of the lake at the bottom of the waterfall which had Pokémon, such as Caterpie and Rattata, running through them. Larger Pokémon such as Raticate and Pidgeotto could be seen around the edge of the clearing and Butterfree were engaged in an enthralling dance over the waterfall basin.

"Oww!" Ash yelled suddenly, turning to glare at his yellow companion. Pikachu simply stood there, glaring back at the small boy before gesturing towards the top of the waterfall. As Ash started to focus closer on where Pikachu was pointing he noticed something which made him freeze in fear.

A lone Pokémon was backed up against the edge of the waterfall. From what Ash could make out it the creature seemed to have a blunt spike situated on the top of its head and a small tail surrounded by plate-like scales. Even from the distance Ash was standing he could clearly see that the Pokémon's rocky skin was severely scratched and charred. Standing across from the clearly injured Pokémon was a small canine which short black fur and a red muzzle. Two upper fangs protruded from its mouth as it growled at its injured opponent and rib-like appendages sprouted from its back to cover its main body. The canine opened its mouth and inside Ash could make out a blazing inferno starting to form. Meanwhile the other Pokémon had started to sprint towards the canine, its mouth opened as a dark aura started to form around its mouth, indicating the beginnings of a **Bite** attack. However before the rock-looking Pokémon could reach its adversary it was blasted with a **Flamethrower** attack. The scaled Pokémon screamed in pain as it was blasted off the edge of the waterfall and into the water below…

Ash gasped as the Pokémon fell into the water, its opponent howling into the sky as it glared down at the water below. However, a few seconds later the defeated Pokémon resurfaced, flailing wildly as it tried to stay above water.

"Lar-vitar!" It spluttered as it cough out some water. Without hesitation Ash dived into the water and attempted to swim over to the defeated Pokémon, which was still flailing in the water. Ash grabbed the injured Pokémon, which latched instinctively onto the small boy. With his remaining strength. The two of them clambered to shore tiredly. The small Pokémon weighed a ton considering its size.

With a sigh of relief Ash stretched his arms as he looked around. Pikachu was prodding the now unconscious Pokémon that Ash had rescued and for the first time Ash got a proper look at the creature.

Its small body a slight shade of green and red scales covered its diamond shaped belly. Along with this there were several holes in its body which Ash curiously prodded, provoking a moan of discomfort from the unconscious Pokémon to which the boy removed his finger and rubbed his head sheepishly. Finally Ash noticed large black triangular marks around its eyes which came down its face.

"What kind of Pokémon is this…?" Ash murmured as he picked up the Pokémon. Water started to gush out of the holes in the Pokémon's sides, causing it to become considerably lighter. Whatever it was it was definitely not designed to be afloat in the water.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as a look of realisation appeared on his face. Ash looked curiously at his Father's Pokémon.

"Pii-Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed as he curled up into a ball before attempting to make itself look bigger and stomp around.

"Huh?" Ash said, titling his head in confusion. Pikachu merely face palmed in annoyance.

"Pika," Pikachu sighed before he started to walk back in the direction of Pallet Town. Ash, carrying the injured Pokémon and following the small mouse.

The three of them walked back in silence; Pikachu occasionally stopping to listen out for danger. Ash meanwhile was thinking about this unknown Pokémon. What was it?

After a while Pikachu stopped walking and stood upright on its hind legs, its tail twitching slightly in anticipation.

"What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked as Pikachu's cheeks started to spark.

"Pika," Pikachu whispered in anticipation. The bushes surrounding the trio started to shudder before an all too familiar howl echoed throughout the area. The same canine Pokémon from earlier step out of the bush in front of the three of them, snarling slight as its black fur stood on end. A familiar rustling started to occur on all sides of them as more of the black Pokémon appeared. Some of them looked slightly different from the others as they were larger and had curved horns which were bent behind their heads. What all of them had in common was a fierce snarl which was directed at the small Pokémon in Ash's arms. Ash felt himself grip the small injured creature in his arms a little tighter as the canines started to prowl closer. Pikachu was glaring at all of the Pokémon whilst sparking his cheeks aggressively.

At this one the larger Pokémon stepped forward, baring its fang like teeth at the small electric mouse. Without hesitation it leaped forward, dark energy coalescing in its mouth to form a powerful **Crunch** attack. Ash cried out in fear for the small mouse as it stayed rooted to the spot.

Then, at a speed that was difficult for the seven year old to comprehend, the canine was flung into a nearby tree as a sharp crack could be heard at the impact. Ash stared at the small mouse which had flung the large Pokémon. In the dimmed light of the forest Ash could see the slight metallic shine on its lightning bolt shaped tail, indicating it had use an **Iron Tail** attack. Meanwhile the other unknown Pokémon started to growl and charge the electric type in retaliation for hurting one of their own.

Without any hesitation Pikachu sprung into battle. Its tail once again taking on a metallic coating as it smacked one of the smaller ones in the jaw, once again causing a sickening crack to echo throughout the area. Ash merely gulped at the sound and relaxed his grip as he felt the Pokémon in his arms stir slightly.

"Lar…" It began before groaning in pain again and passing out. Ash stared at the small Pokémon in front of him in surprise before he started to smell the distinct smell of ozone.

"Pika…." Pikachu began as he began to charge an attack up, its cheeks sparking wildly. The canine Pokémon sensed danger and started to run. However they didn't make it very far before Pikachu had finished getting ready to release the attack.

"CHU!" Pikachu shouted as its body started to release enormous amounts of electricity. The **Thunder** attack sped through the forest towards the group before exploding at it made contact. Distinct yelps of pain could be heard as the attack collided with the pack of Pokémon. Ash shut his eyes as a blinding flash moved throughout the area, cause everything to illuminate.

Slowly opening his eyes Ash stared at the destruction that lay in their path. The forest around them had been turned to a charred shrubbery. Trees had disappeared and the ground had been churned up. Ash daren't turn around the face the direction of where the Pokémon had been as the smell of burnt meat permeated the air. Finally, staring at Pikachu Ash realised that the small mouse wasn't even out of breath. The small mouse was simply glaring in the direction of their attackers, its ears once again up; sensing for danger.

After a while the raven haired boy watch his father's Pokémon visibly relax and the small happy smile which it usually wore on its face returned. Ash shivered as he looked at the small mouse again. Whilst he knew his father's Pokémon were strong, the sheer level of power Pikachu had just displayed made Ash's mouth hang open in shock.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned, tilting its head in confusion at Ash's expression. Shaking his head to clear his mind Ash slowly walked up to the mouse and, whilst shifting the unknown Pokémon into one arm, gently rubbed the small red marks on its cheeks, eliciting a relieved "Cha" for his efforts as the mouse nuzzled into his hand.

Smiling as he withdrew his hand from the electric type Ash rubbed Pikachu's head affectionately before murmuring, "Let's go home Pikachu."

And with that the two of them started to trek back towards Pallet Town, eager to get to help for their unconscious passenger.

In about 20 minutes of a mixture between both walking and running the three of them had managed to make it back to Pallet Town. Without hesitation Ash ran in the direction of the Pokémon laboratory located there, the research centre that belonged to their region's Professor known as Professor Oak.

Bursting through the front doors of the building, Ash sprinted into the lab, almost colliding with the ageing professor. The greying Professor caught the small boy who almost dropped the injured unknown Pokémon.

Almost instantly the old man noticed the small green Pokémon in Ash's arms and a mixture of shock and surprise filled the Professor's face before it was replaced with a serious look when he noticed its injuries.

"Ash follow me," the Professor began as the two of them hastily walked towards the back of the lab. Ash noticed a wide variety of desks filled with various piles of paperwork as he passed by, but he refrained from commenting. He knew that the Professor's work was seen as complex and frustrating, reflected clearly in the state of the old man's workspace.

Professor Oak rushed ahead of Ash and started to type rapidly onto a computer next to a small piece of machinery. Almost instantly the machine started to emit the same comforting green glow of healing machine seen in most Pokecentres.

Ash immediately set the Pokémon down and heard it sigh in relief as the healing machine started to work. The seven year old could clearly see the mysterious Pokémon sigh in relief as its pain started to recede.

"That Pokémon is called a Larvitar," Professor Oak began, causing Ash to stare at the small green Pokémon in confusion. "It's an extremely rare species of Pokémon found only on Mount Silver, which is between our region and the Johto region, for a Larvitar to found this far away from its home is highly unusual," Professor Oak finished.

Ash stared at the small Pokémon. "Larvitar huh…" he mused as he inspected the small Pokémon. Looking around he noticed that the small electric mouse that was with him earlier had disappeared.

"Hey, where's Pikachu?"

\- Meanwhile -

"Pika, Pi Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed, waving his arms around frantically. His trainer got up and smiled slightly as hit small Pokémon's actions.

"Thanks Pi," Red murmured as the electric type jumped up onto his shoulder. With a small sigh Red looked back towards the Pokémon lab and then towards his house nearby. The champion could clearly see his wife working away in their front garden and a sad smile found its way onto his face.

"Pi," Red began as he tore his eyes away from his loving wife. The small electric type looked at its master, titling its head in confusion at the tone of Red's voice. The raven haired man gave a small smile as he looked at his Pikachu.

"I think it's about time we took that long overdue training trip…"

-End of Chapter!-


	2. Chapter Two

Rise of a Champion Chapter Two:

"Come on Larvitar!" A boy shouted as he raced through Pallet Town's few roads. The boy running through the streets was none other than Ash Ketchum, who was currently late for one of last remaining days at the Pallet Town Pokémon Summer Camp.

"Lar-Vitar!" his close companion shouted as he followed closely at the boy's feet. Ever since the incident where Ash had encountered Larvitar by the waterfall the small Pokémon had decided to stay with Ash. The two of them had grown extremely close over the past three years and they could be seen almost everywhere with each other.

Running down the road the two of them managed to make it in time to Professor Oak's corral for the camp. Today they were supposed to be trying Pokémon battling along with many other activities.

Ash rushed round a corner only to almost bounce into the ageing Professor. Professor Oak hadn't changed a bit since the day Ash had encountered him when he rushed to save Larvitar. His hair was still greying slightly and his eyes still gave off the intelligent but caring glow they always had.

"Ash my boy slow down," Oak chuckled as he turned around and started to walk towards the group of children, who were also at the camp, playing with the Pokémon in the corral. As Ash walked over to the rest of the group Larvitar clambered its way into the raven-haired boy's arms. Ash smiled at the rock type as he stroked its head. The reptile-like Pokémon smiled as he pushed his head further into Ash's hand. Around him some of the other children stared in shock at the two of them. To most of them they would've never seen this Pokémon before, due to Larvitar not being native to Kanto.

"Hey Ashy-Boy," a familiar voice shouted. Ignoring the sniggers at the nickname he was given, Ash turned around to be greeted with the familiar face of his best friend.

"Hey Gary," Ash smiled as he watched his brown-haired rival lazily put hands behind his head. Ash for a second caught a glimpse of a shrunken Pokéball which was attached to a chain around Gary's neck as he stretched. With a small smirk Gary tucked the ball away again as he focused once again on Ash.

"I heard you and Larvitar have gotten a lot stronger according to Gramps," Gary commented with his smirk still on his face. Ash gave him a small grin and simply nodded. Since Larvitar had decided to stay in Pallet Town he and Ash had decided to start training to become stronger. Larvitar had grown immensely over the past 3 years, training in both the forests around Pallet and also at Professor Oak's corral with any willing battlers.

"We need a rematch," Ash stated confidently. Gary gave an excited grin as he yanked the Pokéball off of its chain. However, before he could throw it a voice made itself heard above everyone else.

"Could I get your attention please everybody," Professor Oak shouted above all of the children, who had now gathered around him. To each of his sides were some of the helpers at the camp, people who were just about to start their journey's as Pokémon trainers.

"Today we're going to be allowing you to partake in small scale Pokémon battles," Professor Oak began, followed by shouts of excitement from the children.

"You will each get a partner to battle against and also, if you do not have your own, a Pokémon to battle with," the Professor stated before coughing slightly into his hand. "After you have received your Pokémon please try to find a partner that you would like to battle."

Soon after he had finished talking the old man was swarmed with children, each of them begging for a Pokémon.

Ash and Gary merely stood to a side, they already had their Pokémon and already they'd chosen to battle each other. Ash noticed another boy wearing a blue tracksuit with purple hair not care to move either, a calculating look visible on his face as he stared at all the others. Ash noticed a single red Pokéball clipped to the boy's belt.

"Larvitar?" The rock type queried in Ash's arms. Ash simply petted the Pokémon in comfort, getting a small sigh of happiness in return, whilst still staring at the boy who had seemingly found his opponent.

Pulling his gaze away from the buy Ash noticed Gary staring quizzically at him. With a small shake of his head Ash turned away and Larvitar jumped out of his arms. Marked out throughout the corral were small battlefields. So far only a few of the battlefields were taken so Ash and Gary rushed over to the nearest field.

Slightly to the right of them, Ash could make out the same purple haired boy standing nearby on another battlefield, clearly watching them much to the disdain of his opponent.

"Ready Ashy-Boy?" Gary shouted from the other side of the battlefield, getting ready to throw the now full-sized Pokéball. Ash simply nodded as Larvitar walked onto the field, its small eyes narrowing in anticipation.

"Squirtle, go!" Gary shouted as he lobbed the Pokéball at the battlefield. In an eruption of light aa small bipedal turtle appeared with a smikr on its face. Larvitar growled as it faced its opponent.

"Lets give this all we've got Larvitar!" Ash shouted.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar shouted at got into a battle stance. The small blue turtle opposite to them mirrored Larvitar's stance, a small grin etched across its face.

"Let's start this off with a Tackle Squirtle!" Gary shouted as the water type shouted it's name in agreement. Almost instantly the Tiny Turtle Pokémon broke into a sprint towards Larvitar, a small white glow surrounding the turtle, indicating an attack.

"Dodge it Larvitar!" Ash shouted, watching as the small lizard looking Pokémon jumped out of the way. Ash watched his opponent calmly as he shouted another command.

"Use Aqua Jet to change direction Squirtle!" Gary shouted, still smirking as he watched a small amount of panic show on Ash's face. Almost instantly the panic was insantly replaced as he coolly shouted a command.

"Sandstorm," as Larvitar narrowed its eyes. Almost instantly the small holes in its body started to release large amounts of sand, blinding the two trainers from what was going on.

"Squirtle get out of there!" Gary shouted as his voice filled with alarm. Over the top of the sandstorm Gary could just about make out Ash shouting.

"Iron Head!" Ash shouted. Faintly in the midst of the Sandstorm attack you could see the rock type bash into the Tiny Turtle Pokémon with its steel type attack. A small cry of pain could be heard as Squirtle tumbled out of the Sandstorm.

Almost instantly afterwards Larvitar appeared out the the Sandstorm with a small grin on his face.

"Come on Squirtle!" Gary shouted as he watched the water type struggle to its feet with a glare on its face. After a few seconds the turtle shook its head to clear its head and stood by ready to battle again. Quickly checking over the water type, Gary started to shout out commands.

"Use Rapid Spin and power it up with Water Gun!" Gary shouted. Almost instantly the small turtle shot off towards Larvitar. As it tucked into its shell streams of water came gushing out of the turtle's shell, propelling it faster and faster towards the Rock Skin Pokémon.

"Larvitar sandstorm once again and meet him head on with bite!" Ash shouted rapidly, feeling his heart beat in his chest in anticipation at the outcome of the battle. Meanwhile the small rock-type had begun to release more sand, further blocking their view of the battlefield. Inside the sand Ash could just about make out a flash of black energy, indicating a dark type move.

A large crash could be heard from somewhere inside the sand as the two collided and they shouted out in pain. Squirtle shot out of the Sandstorm, clearly knocked out, as it crashed into the ground.

"Squirtle!" Gary shouted as he ran over to the Tiny Turtle and cradled it in his arms. With a frown he checked over the water-type's injuries, before realising they were fairly minor and could heal quickly.

Larvitar, meanwhile, was barely standing, his body covered in scratches and his eyes were closed in pain. Ash ran over to the small Rock Skin Pokémon and gathered the rock type in his arms.

"You ok Larvitar?" Ash asked as he smiled down at the Pokémon. Larvitar managed a weak smile as he replied, "Lar-Larvitar!"

"Alright, I think we need to take you too the Professor," Ash began as he started to walk away.

"There's no need Ash we saw the whole battle," a voice replied. Ash jumped up in shock as he looked around, spotting the regional Professor nearby, covered in sand. Looking around a bit more Ash noticed that most of the marked out battlefields were covered in sand from Larvitar's attack. A few of the other kids had their mouths hanging open in shock whilst overs simply tried to get the sand out of their clothes. Ash noticed the small camcorder in the man's hand, showing that he had been filiming the battle.

"Hehe, sorry Professor," Ash muttered as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The old man simply shook his head with a small smile across his face.

"Just like your father Ash," the region Professor said with a small smile to which the boy went a bright red in embarassment.

The Professor noticed the two of them studying the camcorder he had in his hand. With a small smile the old man started to tuck away the the device.

"Your parents wanted to see one of your first battles," he simply stated. Both boys simply nodded in acceptance. Gary's father wasn't around much as he researching the mythical Pokémon Articuno in the Seafoam Islands. Red on the other hand hadn't been back in Pallet Town since Ash's seventh birthday…

"I'll send it to their Pokégear later today, for now let's get on with the rest of the battles," the Professor finished as the remaining people started to battle on their sand covered battlefields.

The two new trainers walked off, ready to get their Pokémon healed by one of the nearby helpers, who had large supplies of revives on hand to treat any injured Pokémon. Taking one of the small, gem-shaped items from the trainer, Ash carefully helped Larvitar chew on the medicine, making sure that he swallowed it. It seemed as if Larvitar had fainted due to exhaustion after the battle. Along with this the raven haired boy carefully applied a potion to any of the large scratches or marks the Rock Skin Pokémon had on its body.

"You ok now Larvitar?" Ash asked the rock type with a smile as Larvitar came around. The small reptile-like Pokémon gave a small grin as it hopped out of Ash's arms and onto the floor shoutng, "Lar-Vitar!"

With a grin of his own Ash started to walk back towards the battlefields with the rock type on his heels.

"In that case, lets get back to the battlefields and watch the rest of the battles!" Ash shouted as he started to run off.

"LAR-LARVITAR!" the small green Pokémon cried as it struggled to run after its trainer on his small legs.

\- Line Break –

"We made it Larvitar! Now lets go find that trainer from earlier," Ash half-shouted, half-wheezed as he tried to catch his breath from running. After getting no response Ash turned around to see the small green Pokémon just catching up and collapsing behind him out of tiredness.

"Hehe sorry Larvitar…" Ash apologised as the rock type groaned.

"Lar…"

After looking around for a while Ash managed to find the battlefield with the trainer he wanted to watch.

Ash watched as the boy from earlier, with purple hair, pulled out his own Pokéball and revealed a small green turtle with a seedling growing on top of its head. His opponent simply used the Pokémon he had borrowed from the Professor, which seemed to be a small Rattata.

The raven haired trainer looked on in shock as he watched the green turtle mercilessly pummel the small mouse into submission in a matter of minutes.

"Wow…" Ash muttered as he watched the utter destruction infront of him. The sound of grass crunching beneath someone's feet.

"He got destroyed," Gary murmmured as he eyed the purple haired boy. Meanwhile the boy simply returned the green turtle Pokémon and started to walk away, briefly meeting the eyes on both Ash and Gary before turning away.

"Whoever he is, his Pokémon are really strong," Ash replied, not taking his eyes off the boy who had sat alone nearby to the Professor, his eyes occasionaly darting around. Once again Ash met his eyes and the boy stared straight back at him for the first time. Smirking.

"Larvitar…" Larvitar growled as he watched the purple haired trainer.

"It's ok Larvitar, we could take him," Ash said as he forced a smile onto his face. Larvitar merely huffed and went back to glaring at the mysterious boy. The boy had gotten up and had started to walk towards the two of them before Professor Oak started to call over the camp members.

"Ok people! Now that the battles have been finished I'd like to start off a scavenger hunt! The first pair to find all of the required items in the area surrounding the corral will win!" The Professor announced. As soon as the fact they'd have to be in pairs was annocuned people ahd started to scrable around looking for a partner. The old professor smirked as he utterred the next few words.

"I'll be choosing your partners."

A chorus of moans soon followed the Professor's words as he started divide the group into pairs. Ash watched as Gary started to groan when he was paired with a girl with honey-blonde hair. With a sigh Ash turned back towards the Professor to see him standing with a small girl with light, natural brown hair and dark sapphire eyes.

"Ash this is your partner, she's actually from the Hoenn region," Professor Oak spoke as he gestured to the small girl beside him. Said girl turned a bright red as she moved slightly behind the Professor.

With a small, reassuring smile from the old man, Ash stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Hi, my names Ash Ketchum!" Ash smiled at the girl as he waited paitiently for her to take his hand. The girl simply smiled shyly as she stepped out from behind the professor and shook his hand.

"May Maple," the girl reply whilst curtsying slightly. Ash managed to supress a smile at this. As soon as she stepped back the raven haired boy noticed a small orange bird crouching behind her feet.

Noticing his stare, May picked up the orange bird and started to stroke its head, eliciting soft coos from it. "And this is Torchic," May finished as she smiled at the Pokémon. In response Ash picked up his own Pokémon in his arms, obtaining a happy cheer in response.

"And this is Larvitar," Ash laughed as the rock type started to nuzzle him. May smiled at the interaction, not noticing the Professor walk off whilst smiling to himself.

"I've heard Larvitar can grow into really strong Pokémon," May replied, still smiling at the two of them. Ash got up and grinned at the rock type.

"You bet! Me and Larvitar are gonna become Champions!" Ash shouted, followed by a cry from his closest friend. May simply smiled.

"I know you'll get there."

\- Line Break -

"I think we can find pecha berries this way!" Ash shouted as he ran through the forest, May trailing slightly behind panting.

"Lucky Torchic…" May muttered as she watched her fire type keep up with the two in front of her due to its ability; Speed Boost.

Notcing her struggling, Torchic started to slow down slightly, soon running beside its trainer. Offering him a weak smile May started to breathe more heavily as she talked to the orange bird.

"Thanks Torchic," she panted watching the fire type casually keep up her pace. The small bird flapped in happiness as it jumped… Right on his brunette trainer's head.

Unable to keep her balance May crashed straight into the floor, groaning softly as she lay there on the floor.

"May are you alright!?" Ash shouted as he came back running towards the two of them.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine. Just a little sore," she responded, grimacing a little as she shifted around on the ground.

"Chic…" Torchic cooed sadly looking ashamed at what it had done. With a wince May rubbed Torchic's head affectionately and replied.

"Don't worry Torchic it's not your fault."

The small bird continued to coo in sadness until May gathered him in her arms.

"It's ok you were only trying to keep me going right?" May added with a smile. This time the bird seemed to cheer up slightly as it started to rub its head affectionately against its trainer, who in return responded with a small laugh.

Turning to face Ash, May gave a weak smile as she pushed herself to her feet, grimacing as she did so. Ash shifted slightly, supporting her weight as she avoided leading off her ankle.

"Thanks," the brunette whispered as she shifted her weight around to get comfortable.

"You're welcome, the clearing is just up ahead," Ash murmmured as he focused on supporting his partner.

As the two walked they came to the centre of the clearing. Ash started to glare as the familiar purple-haired boy who was battling earlier was waiting for them. By his side was a small green turtle munching on a familiar pile of berries…

"Pecha berries!" Ash shouted as recognition spread across his face. The boy smirked as he threw a single pecha berry up and down in his hand.

"So you're Ash Ketchum…" the boy trailed off with his smirk still plastered across his face. Larvitar started to growl by Ash's side as the green turtle finished its last pecha berry.

"Easy Larvitar…" Ash murmmured, not once talking his eyes off the boy. With a small sigh the boy stopped throwing the pecha berry and closed his eyes.

When the purple haired trainer opened his eyes again they were cold and emotionless. Openeing his mouth the boy's voice took on a mocking tone.

"Since there's only one pecha berry left I suppose you will have to battle me for it," the boy mocked openly, casually ignoring his opponent's glare.

"Larvitar, you ready?" Ash asked, anger present in his voice. The rock type silently took his position in front of it's trainer, growling at the grass type.

"Turtwig, standby for battle," the purple haired trainer shouted. With a small smirk Ash's opponent added, "let's see how far the son of the Champion sits in his father's shadow."

May stifled a gasp at this whilst Ash simply gritted his teeth.

"Larvitar use Iron Head," Ash shouted, anger filling his voice as his partner launched itself at Turtwig.

"Seed Bomb," Paul stated as the Tiny Leaf pokémon spat shrapnel-like seeds out of its mouth at its opponent. Almost instantly as the move collided Ash could hear a distinct cracking sound as they pounded Larvitar's rock hard skin.

"TAR!" Larvitar cried in pain as it endured the attack, colliding with Turtwig, sending the turtle sprawling. Both Pokémon steadily got up, ignoring the pain they were experiencing. Ash gritted his teeth as he watched his partner struggle on his feet.

"Razor leaf," his opponent commanded ruthlessly. Turtwig released the razor sharp blades, launching them at the rock type who barely dodged the super effective attack.

"Larvitar, use Screech and follow up with Bite!" Ash shouted as Paul scowled in frustration. Turtwig shouted in pain as the combo or moves stopped him from moving and dealt him large amounts of damage.

"Turtwig up," Paul instructed emotionlessly. The tiny grass type growled as it got to its feet and shook its head to clear any headaches.

"Larvitar get ready to use Sandstorm!" Ash shouted as the Rock Skin Pokémon started to release sand from its body. Almost instantly a raging tornado of sand covered the battlefield, obscuring both trainer's views of the battlefield.

"Follow your sense Turtwig, and time to use our trump card. Earth Power," Paul calmly replied as he watched Ash stare at him in shock.

Utter destruction followed as their surroundings were torn apart. Larvitar jumped to the side only to get struck by a secondary strike. With a cry of pain Larvitar skidded to the side of the clearing, still on his feet; most likely due to the extra resistance gifted to it by the sandstorm.

"Torchic!" May's starter shouted as he watched the rock type struggle to stand up. Without hesitation its trainer grabbed onto the small bird to hold it back.

"They're way out of our league Torchic," May whispered in awe at the two trainers. Larvitar growled slightly as his eyes started to take on a red glow.

"Outrage," Ash whispered as his partner took off towards the grass type, swinging its fist and sending the turtle flying. Lunging after him, Larvitar started to swing punch after punch at his opponent, sending Turtwig instantly into unconsciousness.

"Tsk," the trainer hissed as he recalled his Pokémon, scowling as he did so.

"We were too weak Turtwig," he muttered as the purple haired trainer stashed his Pokéball away and started to walk away, tossing the Pecha Berry behind him.

"Hey wait, what's your name!" Ash shouted after his opponent. With a small sigh the boy turned around and met his eyes with a fierce glare.

"Paul, remember it," the boy uttered as he walked off, without looking back. With a sigh Ash grabbed his prize and walked back to May and her Torchic.

"We got the Pecha Berry let's go," Ash muttered and he walked away with his hair covering his face. May tilted her head in confusion at his complete change in attitude.

"Umm ok?" May answered as she watched the raven-haired boy walk off.

\- Five Minutes Later –

"Congratulations on finding all of your items Ash and May!" Professor Oak exclaimed as he watched the two of them. Ash had barely said anything since coming back and May was simply staring at him with a frown.

"As a reward for completing the scavenger hunt first I'm going to gift to you this Pokémon Egg," Professor Oak exclaimed as he handed a small jar with an egg inside. Handing it to May the old man turned around to face Ash.

"For you Ash I've decided to give you something else," the Professor began; obtaining a questioning look from the boy.

"Ash, I'm offering you the chance to work as a junior assistant at my lab," the old man continued as Ash's mouth dropped in shock.

"P-Professor thank you!" Ash half stuttered, half shouted in happiness as he hugged the old man, who simply smiled at the trainer in front of him.

"Hey Ashy-Boy!" A familiar voice shouted. Ash turned around, only to be greeted by Gary rushing up to him.

"I'm guessing gramps told you the good news," the brown haired trainer smirked, not noticing the small tick-mark which had appeared on the Professor's head.

"You knew?" Ash asked in surprise at his closest friend. The boy simply nodded with his smirk still present on his face.

"Yup, you're gonna be working with me at the lab and the corral," Gary replied. Ash instantly developed a grin of his own at this.

"Lar-Larvitar!" Larvitar shouted as Ash started to stroke its head; nuzzling its head into Ash's hand.

"You can start next week Ash, I've already cleared this with your mother," the Professor finished as he started to walk away. Ash smiled to himself as he watched the professor retreat

"Ash…" May trailed off as she looked at her feet in sadness. Ash stared at the brunette girl in worry as she shuffled her feet around.

"What is it May…" Ash trailed off at the forming tears in her eyes.

The girl turned around and murmured something inaudible under her breath. Her Torchic stood by her side, quietly swaying on its feet.

"May?" Ash asked again. Without warning the sapphire-eyed girl launched herself at him and buried herself into his chest.

"Since it's the last day of the Summer Camp I'm leaving for Hoenn today," the brunette mumbled, Ash felt his shirt get slightly damp. Soon after that May pulled away and offered a watery grin.

"Thanks for being my partner today, I'm sure we're gonna meet again in the future," May spoke as she hugged the raven haired trainer. With a smile of his own Ash hugged the girl back.

After a couple of minutes, the two parted, leaving them bright red as they realised the close contact. With a small farewell the brunette girl started to walk away towards a tall, lean middle-aged man with short black hair and dark eyes. Ash watched the girl walk away for the last time and sighed desolately.

Turning to the small rock-type, Ash gave Larvitar a small smile as he picked him up is his arms.

"We're one step closer now Larvitar..." Ash began as he looked up to the sky. To his shock a large bird which was completely gold and had rainbows streaming out from behind it. The raven-haired boy smiled for a sec and watched the bird fly across the sky.

\- End of Chapter -


	3. Chapter Three

Rise of a Champion Chapter Three:

Ash yawned for a second as he looked around his room drearily. It was early in the day and the young boy wasn't a morning person. Beside him the small growls of his partner, Larvitar, could be heard as he stirred on the edge of Ash's bed.

"Ughhh. Larvitar what time is it?..." Ash moaned as he rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of some of the sleep.

"Larvi-Tarr..." The Pokemon groaned back as it wriggled slightly. With a groan of annoyance, Ash looked at the alarm clock and his eyes shot open with worry present in them.

"LARVITAR WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Ash shouted as he bolted out of his bed and into the nearby bathroom. The rock skin Pokemon lying on the end of his bed shot up with its eyes wide open as it looked around.

Today was a big day for the both of them. Today they started their journey.

*CRASH* *BANG*

Ash stumbled out of the nearby bathroom fully dressed. His hair was still wet from the rushed shower he just had and his T-Shirt was on back-to-front.

"Let's get downstairs Larvitar!" Ash shouted as he rushed down to the kitchen. The small rock type shouted its name excitedly as it rushed down the stairs after its trainer... Only to trip on the first step due to its stubby legs and fall the rest f the way down.

"Larvi- Tar..."

"Morning Ash," Delia Ketchum said with a cheery voice as her son rushed into the room. Ash shouted back a 'good morning' whilst trying to scarf down his breakfast. Larvitar had slowly walked into the room soon after and began to happily eat on a bowl of Pokemon food left out by Ash's mother.

*COUGH* *COUGH*

Ash choked slightly as he wolfed down his food, his body unable to handle the rapid intake. His mother merely smiled at her son as he recovered.

"Ash calm down! You can't go to Professor Oak's lab if you're in the hospital choking!"

The raven-haired boy jumped up from the table and grabbed a travelling backpack that he had left on the table last night.

His mother had told him that it was the same backpack that his father had used when he first travelled around Kanto. Like most other trainer backpacks it was light, elastic, and had multiple compartments for everything he would need on his journey.

"Make sure you come back here and say goodbye before you leave Ash! I'll make sure that there's nothing you've left behind whilst you're at the lab," Delia said with a smile as Ash raced off.

"Thanks Mom, I'll see you later!"

Ash smiled and nodded at her, the excitement killing any words he might have said. The boy started to run off towards the lab, Larvitar hot on his feet. As he trekked through the small town he smiled and waved goodbye to some of the people who wished him good luck in his journey. Pallet was generally known as a small town so everyone knew that Ash along with a couple of others would be starting their journey today.

In record time at all the trainer and Pokemon pair were at the large white building near the edge of town. From where the lab was they could make out the volcano situated on Cinnabar Island, which was spewing ash.

Ash noticed three other kids standing outside the doors nearby and walked up to them and greeted them.

"You're late Ashy-boy," Gary said with a smirk, which cause the raven-haired boy to mock glare at him, eliciting laughs from the other two there.

"You two never change," a brown haired girl laughed. Gary began to laugh to soon after.

"Old habits die hard Leaf," the brown-haired boy quipped playfully. The four talked for a while before the Professor walked out of the lab. The four trainers rushed forward as the old man featured for them to follow him into his lab. They followed the Professor past various parts of his lab before they were guided into a small room with three pokeballs laying on a table.

The Professor stood next to the table and smiled reassuringly and greeted them all by name, making the two trainer who hadn't been here before relax slightly. Ash felt Larvitar gently leaning against his leg, most likely tired from the running they had to do to get there.

The aged Professor began to address them all, showing them the pokeballs he had laid out in front of them.

"The pokeball to the left here is Bulbasaur, a grass type. The pokeball in the centre is Charmander, a fire type and the poke ball on the right is Squirtle, a water type. Each of them have their strengths and weaknesses but a skilled trainer use any of them very well."

Gary took a step back and released his Squirtle, which stood proudly next to him. The two new trainers looked at the Pokemon in awe before the Professor's grandson spoke.

"Since me and Ash-boy have already got Pokemon you guys go ahead."

Leaf and the other trainer nodded in confirmation as Ash walked backwards to stand with Gary, Larvitar at his heels.

Leaf walked forward and picked up the pokeball to the left and threw it, releasing the Pokemon inside. A small, green, dinosaur-looking Pokemon appeared in a flash of light and calmly began to inspect its surroundings. Leaf smiled and started to pet it and hold it in her arms.

The other trainer tentatively walked towards the pokeball in the middle and released the Pokemon inside as well.

An orange, lizard-looking Pokemon appeared in a flash of light this time and curled up into a ball, yawning lazily. The other new trainer walked over and cautiously began petting it as it laid on the floor and lazily looked up at him.

"Now that everyone has a starter Pokemon could you please return them and come over here," Professor Oak asked as he pocketed the remaining pokeball left on the table and walked over to another desk.

The four trainer followed the elderly Professor as he tipped a large bag upside down, allowing four small, red computers to tumble out of it. Holding one up the Professor began to talk

"This is one of my latest inventions known as the Pokedex. It only recently got completed and since then it has been distributed all over Kanto. The Pokedex can give you any information on what Pokemon you come across: from what it's types are to what moves it can learn along with potential moves."

The new trainers widened their eyes in surprise at what the small computer could do. For its size the Pokedex could do so much. The Professor continued to reveal other features for a while and they all listened intently. When they scanned a Pokemon it would give them a basic idea as to what it could do but in order to find out more about it.

"Now that you all know what these can do I suggest that you get ready to travel on the road. Ash, Gary I need to borrow you both for a second.

The two mentioned trainers stayed behind whilst the others left, leaving them alone with the old Professor.

"I just wanted to let you both know that the Pokedex is the final project that both your parents took a part in. Without Res or Blue's help I wouldn't have been able to finish these Pokedex."

Ash's eyes lit up whilst Gary's narrowed and he started to walk away.

"As if I need his help anyway..."

Professor Oak sighed as he watched his grandson leave the lab before turning to Ash

"Ash I also wanted you to know that your father would be proud of you starting your journey," the old man did with a smile. Ash smiled back as he bent down and picked up the Rock Skin Pokemon leaning on his leg.

"Thanks Professor, I'll look out for Gary on the road as well," Ash replied as he turned away.

Professor Oak smiled as he watched the trainer and Pokemon leave.

"Both you and Gary are going to go far Ash..."

The old man turned around and walked over to desk in the corner of the room. Lying on the desk was a phone which said it was currently engaged, having been in a call for the past twenty minutes.

"Did you both hear that?" The Professor asked as he looked at the phone. A sigh could be heard as well as a "mhmm" of confirmation as two people answered.

"Gary still seems to hold my departure against me..." One voice sighed as the Professor frowned, not that it was visible to the other two.

"Having a father disappear on you to undertake training isn't always the best way to keep up a strong father-son relationship Blue."

The old man received a grunt of acknowledgement in return.

"As if you're one to talk, not to mention we're out here training to solve your little experi-"

"Enough Blue," the other voice ordered as the two fell silent.

"I just want to say thanks for saying to him what I couldn't," the voice said sombrely.

"Anytime Red, I think it's time that both of you return to Kanto soon, it's time for us to act," the Professor confirmed.

"With Pidgeot I could get back to Kanto in a week or two," Blue confirmed.

"We'll make it down the mountain by tomorrow and set off soon," Red added as a harsh gust of wind blew past them, making the Professor move away from the phone as the sound became too loud.

"Just be careful, Mount Silver isn't the nicest place to traverse at this time of year," the Professor shouted as the two hung up, leaving him on a dead line.

"Stay safe both of you..."

...

...

...

"So you ready to move out Ashy-boy?" Gary smirked as he walked toward the Route 1 gate. Ash merely shook his head as he walked back towards town.

"In going to go say goodbye to my Mom first, then I'll head out."

Gary gave a smile, one without his usual cockiness as he walked off, releasing his Squirtle as he did so. Holding his hand up high Gary said a few parting words.

"Stay safe Ash."

The raven-haired trainer smiled as he too turned around.

"You too Gary."

Ash made his way back through Pallet Town towards his house and let himself in. His Mom was waiting for him, a small smile on her face.

"Spare clothes?"

"Packed them."

"Food for you and your Pokemon?"

"You helped me pack it yesterday M-"

"What about a town map?"

"It's all packed-"

Almost as soon as he has answered Ash was pulled into a bone-crushing huh by his mother.

"Stay safe Ash," she whispered. Ash could see her eyes watering as she gave him a smile and gestured towards the door.

"I'll be here if you ever need anything so be sure to come home every now and again!"

Ash waved his mother goodbye and as she shut the door behind him. After he had walked out of sight he sprinted towards the gate for Route 1.

His journey had only just begun.

...

...

...

Ash held his long-time friend in his arms and the rock type yawned tiredly. Larvitar had tried to keep up but rock-types weren't generally known for their speed so when the Larvitar had started to tire Ash decided to pick him up. It wouldn't do them any good if the Rock Skin Pokemon was tired for a battle.

They'd came across a couple of Caterpie and a few Rattata but nothing had so far peaked his interest as something that Ash would want to catch.

The trainer continued to trek through the wilderness for a while, holding his closest friend in his arms as he did so.

Ash jumped slightly as he felt his Pokedex vibrate in his pocket. As he pulled it out and opened the small computer a warning alert flashed across the screen.

According to the Pokedex, a flock of Spearow was currently in the area attacking trainers. The Pokedex rated each alert on a scale, with red being an extreme danger whilst green meant it was only a low risk. Considering the Pokedex rated it as a green risk Ash wasn't too fazed by it.

As soon as Ash put away his Pokedex a loud rustle could be heard from a nearby bush. The trainer and Pokemon froze in their tracks as they heard it, Larvitar now fully awake and alert in his arms.

"What do you reckon it was Larvitar?" Ash whispered as he let the Rock Skin Pokemon down to the ground. Almost instantly the Pokemon tried to make itself as big as possible and started to plod around in the ground.

Ash held back a laugh as he watched the rock type try to convey his thoughts.

"I don't think it's that big..." Ash whispered as a small Pokemon popped out of the bush. It was a small, brown avian Pokemon with a cream coloured face and underside. A small pinkish beak pecked at the ground, searching for berries and other goods.

"A Pidgey!" Ash shouted as Larvitar leapt from his arms. The small flying type looked at the two in shock before preparing itself for a battle.

"Larvitar you ready?" Ash shouted as the rock type got into a battle stance.

"Larvitar!" It shouted in confirmation, dragging one of its feet across the ground. Ash grinned as he listened to his starter before his face became more calculating, already planning moves out in his head.

"Alright Larvitar! Let's start this off with a bite!" Ash shouted as the rock type lunged forward, his teeth glowing with dark energy. The dark type move connected and the Pidgey cried out in pain as it was struck. The small flying type soon retaliated, throwing small tornados of wind at the Larvitar.

"Larvitar, take it," Ash said calmly as the rock type braced itself. Flying types generally relied on fast and nimble attacks that built up damage over time. Rock types had hide that was generally very thick so the small attacks were unable to do much damage at all.

The gust attack hit Larvitar head on, who barely flinched as it connected. After a while the winds died down, revealing the Pidgey who was coming in close for a tackle attack.

"Larvitar use Iron Head!" Ash shouted as the Pidgey came closer. Larvitar's blunt spike in the top of its head glowed before going a metallic silver colour. The Rock Skin Pokemon head-butted the flying type, who cried in pain again.

The Pidgey fell to the floor and laid there for a while, before shakily rising to its feet. Ash raised an eyebrow at the bird in surprise. It's sheer will to not give in was incredible, standing up after receiving an attack that should have knocked it out.

"Larvitar stop for a second," Ash muttered as he walked in front of his Pokemon. The Rock Skin Pokemon's eyes widened in surprise before it slowly walked up to his Trainer's side.

Crouching down on his knees, Ash reached into his backpack and retrieved a small blue berry; and Oran berry.

"Here you go," Ash said as he smiled and offered the berry to the bird. The Pidgey looked at him in surprise and pecked at the Oran berry in his hand. After a while Ash used his other hand to let the small bird, which cooed at the interaction.

"You're pretty tough aren't you," Ash said as he retrieved his Pokedex and scanned the bird, who peered at the device in curiosity.

"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. A common sight in forests and woods, it kicks up sand at ground level to blind opponents.

Pidgey is a flying and normal type Pokemon.

This Pidgey is female and has the ability: Tangled Feet."

"So you're a girl?" Ash asked out loud, recieving a coo in response from the small bird. Ash fished around in his backpack in a second before retrieving a pokeball from it. He showed it to the Pidgey who looked at it with confusion.

"You're really strong Pidgey and I want you to travel with me, if you're interested then just touch the button on the centre of the ball.

The small bird clicked its beak twice before pressing it against the small button. A bright red light engulfed the Pidgey, drawing it into the pokeball. The ball shook once... Twice... And then three times before it made a clicking sound, indicating a successful capture. With a smile, Ash picked up the pokeball and clipped it onto the belt at his waist.

"Welcome to the team Pidgey," Ash said as Larvitar shouted in happiness. After another flash of bright red light, Pidgey appeared again, looking around in confusion. After spotting Ash, it started to flap its wings, landing on his shoulder.

The three of them, the two Pokemon and trainer, walked through the route, looking for more Pokemon. To their dismay there were no others that particularly stood out, only a couple of Rattata and a lone Ekans, which slithered away as soon as they came near.

The area quickly grew dark, leaving the three unable to see through the pitch black.

With a sigh, Ash mentally kicked himself for never asking anyone how to set up a camp whilst out in the wilderness. It was starting to look like their first night would be very uncomfortable.

The trainer and his Pokemon continued in for a while before finding a suitable clearing. The area was fairly shielded from the elements, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about rain or high winds and it was out the way so hopefully they would avoid trouble.

Larvitar walked around the camp, gathering small pieces of drift wood from the clearing to create a fire. Pidgey sat to a side, pecking at a small bowl of Pokemon food Ash had laid out for the bird Pokemon. Larvitar soon came over and started to tuck into his own food.

Ash meanwhile, had retrieved a lighter out of his backpack and started to light the pile of logs Larvitar had gathered.

The three finished eating and started to take drinks of water, tired from the day of travelling. Pidgey started to coo, indicating it wanted to go to sleep, so Ash returned it to its pokeball to rest. Larvitar simply curled up beside Ash's sleeping bag, ready to sleep through the night.

Ash climbed into the sleeping bag he laid out, throwing dirt on the fire to extinguish it. As he climbed into his sleeping bag he noticed the Rock Skin Pokemon shivering slightly. With a small smile the trainer lifted the small Pokemon up and pulled it into his sleeping bag, hearing Larvitar sigh at the warmth. Ash for the first time felt fear as he realised how much sleeping in the wilderness frightened him. His fears were quickly quelled as he looked at the small rock type next to him. If there was any trouble, he was sure that either Larvitar or Pidgey would be able to handle it.

The two started to fall asleep, allowing the darkness of the wilderness to soothe them into their slumber.

...

...

...

Ash groaned as he stretched his sore muscles, wincing as the sun's harsh overhead rays hit his eyes.

To his side, Larvitar was curled up, although it's eyes were wide open, showing it was awake. Ash grumbled as he tried to go to sleep, only to be prodded by Larvitar and its blunt spike.

"Alright, alright I'm up," Ash groaned as he gently pushed the rock type away in order to avoid getting prodded again. The raven-haired boy sighed as he got up and started to pack away his sleeping bag.

Ash froze as he looked over at his bag, which was slowly being dragged away by a small piece of string attached to it, leading to the undergrowth. With a growl, the trainer released his newly acquired Pidgey, who looked at the bag in confusion.

"Go scout it out Pidgey," Ash said as he watched the bird hop forward curiously. Noticing the small string attached to the bag, the bird started to pull at it, grabbing it in its beak. The string started to stretch and it wasn't long before-

*SNAP*

It broke...

A small green creature tumbled out of the undergrowth, squeaking angrily at them. Ash sweat-dropped as he realised he was faced with an angry Caterpie. The bug type continued to squeak at them for a while before it realised that it was standing next to a Pidgey, one of its top predators.

With a squeak of fear, the Caterpie dived back into the undergrowth, causing Ash to laugh out loud at the antics.

After around half an hour, Ash was ready to set off, having packed his bags and rolled up his sleeping bag. Looking at his two Pokemon, Ash started to set off.

"Pidgey, fly overhead and practice some aerial manoeuvres, Larvitar today you need to walk we're going to start building up some stamina," Ash said as the two Pokemon shouted in agreement.

The three made their way through the route for a while, looking for any wild Pokemon or trainers to battle.

Eventually they found one, a boy, known as Joey, who was most likely only just older than Ash himself with his Rattata.

Ash chose to use his Pidgey, wanting the newly acquired flying type to gain more experience before they went much further. Larvitar already had battling experience, having been by Ash's side since he had first found the rock type.

The Pidgey stood in front of Ash, her eyes narrowed dangerously at the Rattata in front of him.

"Rattata use quick attack!" The trainer shouted as he watched the purple rat sprint forward, white light gathering up behind it as it ran at an intense speed.

"Pidgey into the air and roll to dodge it!" Ash shouted as the bird started to flap its wings. The Tiny Bird Pokemon narrowly dodged as it sloppily dived out of the wave. Ash winced at the technique shown. It looked like they would need a lot more practice when it came to moving through the air.

"Now counter with a gust attack!" Ash shouted as Pidgey flapped its wings even faster, creating small tornados which battered the Rattata.

"Follow it up with a quick attack!" Ash shouted as the Pidgey sped forward, its wings glowing with white light as it built up speed. However just before it made contact the purple rat dodged the attack.

"This Rattata is going to need a lot more firepower to take it down..." Ash muttered out loud. Pidgey cooed as it flew overhead before squawking in pain as the Rattata's jaws clamped around its body.

"Shake it off Pidgey, scratch it!" Ash shouted as the bird raked its claws across the Rattata's face, making it squeak in pain before falling to the floor.

"Now finish it with another quick attack!" Ash shouted. Almost immediately the Tiny Bird Pokemon was coated in the familiar white light of quick attack. The opponent's Pokemon was to dazed from its fall to react as the flying type crashed into it.

The Rattata cried out in pain as in slide across the ground a couple of times before collapsing; unconscious.

Ash cheered a couple of times as Pidgey did some victory laps in the air around him. Joey walked over with an annoyed look in his face as he held out a wad of cash in his hand.

"Here you go, your winnings," he said as he sighed. Ash looked at the money in confusion.

"Winnings?" Ash asked in curiosity as he looked at the boy in confusion.

"Didn't you know? For every Poke dollar you make over $1000 you have to give away ten percent every time you lose. It's the league's new way to encourage trainers to get stronger."

Ash looked at the money for a second before pocketing it. Judging from the amount given to him it looked to be around $100.

"Thanks?" Ash said in confusion as the boy walked away, returning his Rattata as he did so.

"Well then," Ash said out loud as Pidgey cocked its head to the side, confused. With a small smile the trainer allowed the flying type to return to the air, allowing it to practice its manoeuvres in the air.

Ash continued down the route, occasionally battling trainers. Ash won the majority of his battles with Pidgey, allowing the bird to get the previous experience it needed. After the Tiny Bird started to tire, Ash returned it and allowed Larvitar to take over. The baby pseudo-legendary crushed its opponents easily, allowing for much tougher wins compared to when battling with Pidgey.

After a while it started to go dark again so Ash decided to set up camp again. After releasing both of his Pokemon and retrieving some potions from his bag. After untwisting the cap Ash sprayed some of the medicine onto his Pokemon's wounds, listening to their sighs of relief as their cuts and bites were treated.

Ash sat down fifteen minutes later on his sleeping bag as he got a fire roaring once again, holding a map in his hands. According to his town map the closest gym was in Viridian city, which was where he was heading.

With a content sigh the new trainer extinguished the fire and returned his Pidgey before pulling Larvitar close to him one again as the night got colder once again.

...

...

...

Ash frowned as he walked through the last stretch of Route 1. For the next two closest gyms, Ash didn't really have anything against them. Whilst his Larvitar had Iron Head, which would be effective against the second gym they faced there was very little he had to combat both rock and ground types. Pidgey, whilst he could hold his own against regular ground types due to being able to dodge most of their moves based on the ground, a large amount of ground types also had a secondary rock typing, meaning they could most likely dish out more damage than Pidgey could input. Not to mention Larvitar was weak to ground type moves due to being part rock type.

...

...

...

Ash woke up to the sound of thunder overhead and rain hitting the leaves of the trees above him. Larvitar had huddled into his side as closely as possible, most likely to avoid the rain. Ash groaned as he stretched in his sleeping bag, trying to avoid the rain as much as possible.

Grabbing one of the Pokeballs around his waist, Ash recalled Larvitar into his pokeball. With a sigh, the younger trainer wiggled further under the tree in his sleeping bag, waiting for the worst of the rain to stop.

The boy sat under the tree for hours, waiting for the rain to stop until it lessened to a slight drizzle. Realising this was most likely as good as the weather was going to get, Ash sighed and began to get ready to leave.

Hastily rolling his sleeping back up, Ash noticed a small segmented body hanging out of the nearby undergrowth. With a yell of surprise, Ash leapt backwards as a toxic stinger was sent in his direction, easily embedding itself 5 inches into a nearby tree.

The segmented body began to move, revealing a red nose and small beady black eyes which glared at the trainer angrily.

"Weedle," the Pokemon hissed as it reared up backwards. Ash leapt backwards, landing in his backside, in order to avoid another toxic stinger sent in his direction.

"Larvitar!" Ash shouted as he released the Rock Skin Pokemon, who started to look around frantically for its target. The Weedle shot another round of poison stingers at Larvitar, which the Rock Skin Pokemon either dodged or allowed to bounce off of his rock hard skin.

"Use Iron Head!" Ash shouted as Larvitar's blunt spike became as hard as metal, allowing Larvitar to ram into the aggressive Pokemon and send it sprawling across the floor.

As he was doing so, Ash had whipped out his Pokedex and started to scan the Weedle.

"Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokemon. It's poison stinger is known to be very powerful, the venom is known to be fatal to humans. It eats its body weight in leaves each day in order to get ready to evolve.

Weedle is a bug and poison Pokemon.

This Weedle is: Male."

"So it's a bug and poison type," Ash muttered as he watched Larvitar dodge another wave of stingers.

After a while the Weedle began to tire, shooting less and less stingers at a slower pace, making it much easier for Larvitar to dodge them. Seeing an opening arise, Ash shouted a new command.

"Use Iron Head again, but avoid its stinger!"

Larvitar built up momentum, the blunt spike on the end of its head once again glowing a metallic silver. As Larvitar crashed into the Weedle the bug type cried out in pain as it was sent flying into a nearby tree.

Quickly grabbing a pokeball, Ash flung the red capsule at the downed Pokemon, which disappeared in a flash of red light. The ball rocked once... Twice...

And the Weedle broke free.

The small bug slithered away with wide eyes as it realised how close it had come to being caught.

Ash sighed as he picked up the pokeball he had thrown, the hinge on it now broken and rendered useless for another attempt. With annoyed grunt he flung the destroyed pokeball into the wilderness.

"Larvitar..." The Rock Skin Pokemon sighed as it held its head low. Ash gave the rock type a small smile and scratched it gently on the back of its head, making the Pokemon sigh in happiness.

"We'll get him next time ok buddy?" Ash said with a warm smile. Larvitar smiled and gave a cheer if confirmation.

After a couple of minutes, Ash got to work on clearing up his campsite, using Larvitar to destroy any waste he saw.

The calm pace quickly turned into one of haste as the easily recognisable call of a Spearow flock could be heard coming their way.

"Larvitar return, we need to move," Ash shouted as the rock type was engulfed in bright red light and returned to his pokeball.

Ash broke into a sprint as he made it further down Route 1 towards Viridian city, the flock's beating wings frighteningly close behind him.

Sneaking a peak behind him, Ash started to push himself harder as he saw some of the Spearow behind him with their sharp talons outstretched. Spearow were notoriously known for being territorial creatures, meaning Ash's only hope was to run past the invisible barrier that marked their land and pray they didn't follow.

However, his lead didn't last long, as the raven-haired trainer tripped on a stray rock in the path. His foot fell beneath him, leaving the trainer with a mouthful of dirt as he hit the floor.

The trainer groaned in pain as he got to his feet, the Spearow circling overhead squawking in anger.

Without hesitation, Ash released his Larvitar, who growled at the birds.

"Sandstorm Larvitar!"

The surrounding area became engulfed I sand as Larvitar allowed the small particles to expel from his body.

The aggressive birds above them squawked in anger as the sand obscured their view of their targets.

"SQUAWK!"

One of the Spearow tried to take a lucky shot at the rock type within the cloud of sand, dive bombing, and only narrowing missing Larvitar, as it crashed into the ground with a sickening crack.

The sandstorm didn't last for long as the rain from the thunderstorm above started to intensify, leaving the area merely dusty as most of the sand was dragged to the ground.

Ash looked around and noticed that at least a dozen Spearow were left, still circling angrily above them. One of the tried to attack the trainer as it swooped overhead, only to be sent to the ground as Larvitar drove its blunt spike into the bird's soft body.

Whilst they had taken down two of the bird Pokemon, more were beginning to take their place. After a moment a slightly louder squawk sounded over the others and a larger bird appeared. It had a large, drill-like beak and a small head compared to its massive body size.

"A Fearow..." Ash said in both awe and fear as the bird started to swoop towards them, its wings glowing a metallic colour indicating it using a steel wing.

Larvitar tried to dodge the move but it's hard, heavy hide made it difficult to dodge, allowing the large bird to scrape at it with the super effective move.

Larvitar fell to the ground with a strangled cry, clearly unconscious from the hard blow. Ash winced as he watched the Pokemon roll across the ground.

However, the Fearow wasn't done yet. After watching the small rock type roll across the floor it turned around and true to attack again, it's claws outstretched and ready to tear into the Larvitar's tough hide.

Ash saw this and dived in front of the small Pokemon, having no time to return the injured rock type. The trainer braced himself for the large bird Pokemon's attack, cradling his injured partner in his arms.

Ash waited for the inevitable feeling of their talons sinking into his back... But it never came.

Ash hesitated as he smelt the recognise able scent of ozone in the air, indicating lightning. Slowly, the trainer lifted his head up and was shocked at what he saw.

In front of Ash was a small rodent, whose cheeks were sparking with electricity; a Pikachu.

The small rodent let loose another bolt of electricity, which arced through the air before coming into contact with another of the aggressive flying types, which squawked before plummeting to the ground, its body crackling with electricity.

Ash watched the small mouse, which shook its body slightly as electricity arced across its fur.

"A Pikachu?" Ash said out loud, gaining the attention of the electric mouse. The rodent looked at the trainer curiously, cocking its head to the side, before scampering away into the nearby undergrowth.

Ash stared at the undergrowth where the electric mouse had disappeared before looking at Larvitar in his arms.

The Spearow and Fearow twitched slightly as electricity still courses through their burnt bodies, swirls in their eyes evident. Ash slowly got to his feet, brushing his hair slightly with his hand in order to try and get some of the dust out of it, before slowly walking one step at a time down the dirt path towards Viridian. Pulling out his pokeball, the trainer returned the Rock Skin Pokemon before setting off.

...

...

...

It took Ash around another hour before he could see the outline of Viridian city. After another 30minutes or so Ash had made it to the bustling city; sweat, dirty and tired.

The new trainer's first stop was to visit the Pokemon Centre in order to help his injured Larvitar. Ash hadn't let him out of his pokeball since the incident but he knew the small pseudo-legend wasn't in good shape after taking that hit from the Fearow.

After dropping both his Pokemon off at the Pokemon Centre with Nurse Joy, Ash sat down on a chair in the waiting room and began to explore his Pokedex.

One of the features mentioned by Professor Oak was that it could provide tutorials on how to teach Pokemon moves to use in battle. Ash fiddled around with the device for a while trying to figure out how to work it.

*CLUNK* *WHIR*

The Pokedex started to make odd noises as Ash pressed a button on the side of the device. Soon after the screen began to light up and the Pokedex spoke in its robotic voice.

"Welcome to the Pokedex move database. Please scan or search the Pokemon you wish to teach."

Ash selected a Pidgey and it brought up three categories: Egg Moves, Standard Moves and Tutor Moves.

Unsure of what tutor moves were, Ash selected a small question mark button I the bottom left corner of the screen.

"Tutor moves are moves which can only be taught to Pokemon through excessive training. These may require the help of specialists to learn.

Egg moves are moves which can only be taught to Pokemon who have the potential to learn the moves due to being bred with the ability. To find out if your Pokemon has the potential to learn specific moves, please scan them using the Pokedex.

Standard moves are moves which can be taught to all of the species. These are generally much easier for a Pokemon to learn compared to Tutor moves or Egg moves."

Ash looked at the Pokedex in awe. The sheer quantity of moves each Pokemon could learn was outstanding. After a while Ash selected standard moves for Pidgey and was bombarded with a list of moves.

"Hmm let's see... Pidgey already knows how to use quick attack and gust so... I guess the next step up would be to teach it twister?" Ash said out loud to no one in particular as he selected the move.

"Twister:

This is a dragon type move which allows a Pokemon to create small twisters infused with draconic energy. These can then be sent at opponents to do damage and potentially make them flinch."

Ash read the description for a second before clicking on a video tutorial. Having a dragon type move could be beneficial currently as not a lot of Pokemon in the surrounding areas resisted it, meaning at the very least it could deal neutral damage to whatever it was fighting.

The video gave Ash a short clip of a trainer getting a Pidgeot, the final evolved form of Pidgey, to perform the move one step at a time. Once he was confident he knew how it would work Ash stowed away his Pokedex and walked over to the counter where Nurse Joy was now sitting.

"Excuse me Nurse Joy, are my Pokemon healed now?" Ash inquired politely, getting a small smile in return from the woman.

"Yes you're Pokemon have been are back into their prime condition, if you have any other needs please come again," the Nurse replied as she handed Ash back his two Pokeballs.

Ash made to move away from the desk before he paused and moved back.

"Nurse, could you also deposit this money into my bank account?" Ash asked as he handed her a large wad of cash that he had won from battling trainers. The nurse simply nodded as she took the cash and placed it inside a machine. A couple of seconds later Ash's Pokedex whirred to life in his pocket.

"Deposit received," the Pokedex whirred as Ash flipped it open and check his account balance.

$3600

After battling all of the trainers he had come across on the Route, Ash had built up a surprisingly large stack of cash. Considering the prices of some goods in the Pokemarts though it wasn't anything to be proud of as of yet.

After a while Ash decided to release his Pokemon. Two bright flashes of light dispersed as Pidgey and Larvitar were released from their pokeballs in prime condition. Larvitar happily bounced up into his trainer's arms whilst Pidgey flew into his shoulder and started to rub its beak against his hair.

However, the two Pokemon were both too honest for the trainer, sending Ash tumbling backwards laughing.

"Alright you two, I was just thinking we could get some training in before the day is over."

The two Pokemon shouted in agreement as Ash pulled out his Pokedex and began to scan them, seeing if the two had any strong Egg moves.

Ash scanned Larvitar first, seeing as the Rock Skin Pokemon had been with him the longest.

"Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokemon," the Pokedex began before Ash got bored and fast forwarded the information until it got to Egg moves.

"This Larvitar has the Egg Moves: Iron head, outrage, stealth rock and dragon dance."

Ash looked at his starter in shock. Larvitar was already able to use two of its Egg moves without any previous training, which was an amazing feat.

Ash quickly scanned through the other moves available to Larvitar, looking for something that caught his eye.

After a while, Ash stopped on the Standard moves section where he had found a move which could be useful.

Rock slide.

The move was known to have a good amount of power behind it and it seemed relatively easy to teach the Rock Skin Pokemon after watching a couple of tutorials.

"Alright Larvitar you're going to be learning how to use the move rock slide," Ash told the Pokemon, causing it to nod its head in understanding. Ash knelt down beside the small Pokemon and began to show it the video tutorials he had depicting a Graveller using the move slowly and portraying each step carefully.

"Think you've got it buddy?" Ash asked, getting a shout and a nod from the Pokemon in return. Larvitar hunched over, trying to replicate the technique shown to him in the video.

After a while the Rock Skin Pokemon had managed to summon a small Boulder, which was one of the beginning steps to the technique. Satisfied the rock type was making good progress, Ash moved on and began to scan Pidgey, having already picked out a move for the flying type to learn.

"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon...

...Pidgey has the Egg Moves: Air slash, brave bird and steel wing."

Ash looked at the small bird in front of

him in surprise, who in turn cocked her head out of curiosity.

"Damn," Ash whistled as he looked over the moves again. Brave bird was known for being easily one of the strongest flying type moves known whilst both air slash and steel wing were seen as strong long range and close quarters techniques respectively.

"And Pidgey, you're going to be learning how to use twister, which is a dragon type move," Ash began and he knelt down and allowed the small bird to hop into one of his legs so it could see his Pokedex. The video once again showed the Pidgeot going through each step of the move and then the final effect, which uprooted some trees in the background of the short clip.

Ash turned to look at Pidgey to see if she had gotten the technique but he noticed the small bird's eyes were wide with awe at its final evolution. Ash chuckled to himself before speaking out loud.

"Reckon you've got that girl?"

The Pidgey didn't respond for another moment or two before it turned towards its trainer and nodded in confirmation.

The Tiny Bird Pokemon immediately got to work, trying to form twisters in a similar to how it would form a gust attack.

Ash flitted between both Pidgey and Larvitar, trying to help them wherever possible. Both Pokemon began to tire quickly into the day, making their trainer realise that he needed them to work on stamina at a later date.

After an hour or two of practice the three of them decided to call it quits for the day, booking a room in the Pokecentre to stay in overnight. By tomorrow with any luck they would be able to book a gym battle at the Viridian gym and then onwards to Viridian forest.

To the side of the battlefield a small pair of beady eyes watched the two Pokemon and their trainer with anger.

He'd nearly been caught and that meant weakness; and his species didn't show weakness. Weakness meant being eaten by predators such as that Pidgey or even bigger Pokemon.

Weedle mentally scowled as it crawled away and back into the undergrowth. Admittedly it hurt him to know that after all of the training he had set himself, two Pokemon, one of which was only just caught by him judging by its still wild tendencies, would've been easily able to overpower him.

Slinking away even further a stray thought crossed its head that the bug thought never would.

"What if he got taught by that trainer?

...

...

...

Ash sighed as he climbed into the bed at the Pokemon Centre that night, carrying both Pidgey and Larvitar in his arms. The two had completely tired themselves out but in the end they had managed to learn the new moves and refine them slightly. It'd be a while until they completely mastered them but it was a start

Ash gently place down his Larvitar on his bed before gently shaking Pidgey to let her know where to sleep. The bird gave a soft coo before tiredly gliding over to a lone perch in the corner of the room.

Ash groaned as he climbed into the bed next to Larvitar, the small pseudo-legend was out cold after its intense training. It had managed to complete rock slide fairly quickly but after that Ash had started to make it do some stamina based exercises, completely tiring him out.

It was also a small workout for their trainer, who had to dodge their stray attacks in order to avoid string crushed by a boulder or blown away by a ferocious twister.

With a yawn Ash felt the familiar blackness of sleep take over him, the last thing he felt was Larvitar's comforting warm hide beside him.

...

...

...

"What! it's closed!" Ash shouted out loud as he looked at the notice on the front of the gym door. Apparently, according to the notice on the door, the gym leader was currently away and unable to take gym battles until further notice. With a sigh, Ash walked away and over to the nearby Pokemart.

Inside the Pokemart, Ash was greeted by a friendly store clerk, who guided the raven-haired boy over to a digital machine, which acted as a catalogue of what he could buy. Ash plugged his Pokedex into an empty slot on the machine, allowing it to access his data. A frown appeared across the young trainer's face as he read a notification that appeared across the machine saying he had no badges.

Different stock was available to trainers with more badges, meaning that the more gyms Ash faced the more goods he would be able to purchase. Being able to only purchase the basics for now didn't really boost the new trainer's mood though.

"Professor Oak had access everything," Ash muttered as he brought himself a set of 10 pokeballs for $2000 along with some basic potions and antidotes, mentally cringing as he looked at his new balance.

$350

To say money didn't go far in Kanto was an understatement, considering necessities such as pokeballs were around $200 each. This meant that Ash would have to be careful with his money, at least until started to battle more experienced trainers where the winnings would be substantially more.

After picketing his new goods and leaving, Ash started to venture through the city of Viridian, taking in some of its amazing views as he did so.

"Come here you pesky Weedle!"

Ash froze as he heard someone shout out. Running in the direction of the voice, Ash noticed an old man facing off a Weedle. The bug Pokemon hissed as soon as he saw Ash.

"Is that the same Weedle from Route 1?" Ash asked out loud as the bug fired a toxic stinger at him, causing the trainer to duck as it hit the tree behind him with a loud *THUNK*.

"Yup same Weedle," Ash said as he sweat dropped at the bug. The old man, however, paid no attention to this as he threw a pokeball at the bug type. However, the bug type was more than prepared as it used its long body to smack the ball away, comically hitting the man in the face.

From the sheer force of the returned pokeball, the old man fell to the floor, groaning and clutching his face. The Weedle simply looked away and stared at Ash, hissing before disappearing again into the undergrowth surrounding the path.

"And I thought I had him..." The old man said as he slowly got to his feet. Ash looked at the man and sweat-dropped again.

"If I couldn't catch t even after battling it there would've been no way just chucking a regular pokeball at it would've worked."

The old man suddenly noticed Ash as he walked over.

"Hey there! Do you want to learn how to catch Pokemon!" The old man asked as a senile smile appeared on his face. Ash smiled back hesitantly.

"He's asking me if I want tips after that..."

Ash shook his head and politely told the man that he already knew how to catch Pokemon, noticing the look of disappointment on his face. After a while Ash excused himself and continued to walk up the path towards Viridian forest.

Along the way the Pokemon trainer noticed someone sitting by the gate to Viridian forest.

"Hey Gary!" Ash shouted as he walked towards his close friend and rival. The brown haired trainer smirked as he walked over to Ash.

"Hey Ashy-boy, how's it going?" Gary smirked as he met his rival. Ash sighed and gave him a smirk on his own.

"Never change do you Gary."

"You'd miss me if I did."

Ash actually burst out in laughter at Gary's retort, the brown haired boy joining him soon after.

"So how long have you been here?" Ash asked, looking at Gary. He noticed that the pokeball that hung around Gary's neck, his Squirtle, was chipped slightly; indicating the two had experienced some wild encounters of their own.

"About a day, I just wanted to explore Route 22 before I headed off into the forest, there wasn't really much over there apart from a couple of Spearow and a Mankey."

Ash thought about this for a second. He didn't see the point in catching a Spearow, considering he currently had Pidgey with him. Mankey was tempting for a second, with its sheer speed which outclassed many other fighting types, but they were known to be exceptionally aggressive, something which Ash didn't feel he was just about ready for yet.

"Meh, I think I'll have to pass on them," Ash replied. Gary simply shrugged.

"Suit yourself I guess, I've already caught a couple of Pokemon myself."

Ash grinned at this, listening to Gary throw out his subtle invitation to a battle.

"And you want to test them out right?" Ash said whilst smirking. Gary laughed at the raven-haired trainer's reaction.

"You know me too well. Alright, there's a battlefield nearby, we'll go there."

Ash followed his close friend and rival through the streets of Viridian, weaving in and out of people as he did so. Eventually the two came across a battlefield which had all but been demolished.

Large cracks ran through the battleground, effectively turning the area into a mess of rubble. You could see the area was recently used as some areas still had large puddles in them, most likely indicating a water type had battle there.

"How many Pokemon did you catch on Route 1 Ash?" Gary asked as he looked across the battlefield.

"Just one."

Gary nodded in understanding as he looked around the battlefield, trying to form a strategy.

"How about we make this a two on two battle then? Considering I only caught one Pokemon as well."

Ash's eyes lit up in surprise at this. He had expected Gary to have caught a lot more Pokemon then he had stated, considering the boy had always said he wanted to catch all the Pokemon when they were younger.

"Alright, I guess we both throw at the same time, you can have first move," Ash said as he stood back, pulling a pokeball off of his belt and expanding it to its full size.

Both nodded at each other, their faces becoming calculating as they threw the red orbs across the field.

Both orbs released their contained Pokemon in a flash of white light as two birds could be heard cooing across the field.

"So you caught a Pidgey too Gary," Ash said in surprise.

"This guy was special so I figured I would add it to my team. Now Pidgey start it off with a quick attack!" Gary shouted as his Pokemon glowed with a white light as dashed towards Ash's Pidgey at an unbelievable speed.

"It's so fast..." Ash thought as he tried to think of a counter.

"Pidgey spin to the side and use gust to make it tougher for it to fly!"

Ash's Pidgey cooed as it did a barrel roll to the side, allowing its opponent to narrowly miss the flying type. The bird then turned around and started to flap its wings rapidly, sending large gusts of wind at Gary's own Pidgey, making it difficult for it to stay airborne.

"Pidgey, fly above the winds and tackle Ash's Pidgey!" Gary shouted frantically. The small brown bird flew above the ferocious gusts caused by its opponent and dive-bombed at its opponent.

Realising Pidgey would be unable to dodge, Ash thought of a reasonable counter.

"Pidgey use growl and try to weaken the attack before it hits you!" Ash shouted hastily. His Pidgey started to growl as Gary's own flying type came closer.

Growl was a move mainly used by beginner Pokemon to try and disrupt their foe's concentration, usually decreasing the power of their attacks. However, Ash was amazing as Gary's own Pidgey glowed in a crimson light and continued without fail. The attack hit Ash's Pidgey head on, temporarily dazing it in the air.

"How?" Ash said out loud, watching Gary smirk in the process.

"I told you this a Pidgey was special. It's got the ability Big Pecks, meaning that it's attacks can't be disrupted no matter what. It's Pidgey's hidden ability," Gary stated with a smile.

Ash growled in anger at this. Hidden abilities were seen to be difficult to find, hence why they were called hidden abilities.

"Trust you to find a Pokemon with a hidden ability..." Ash muttered as he looked at the bird in amazement.

"Pidgey, give it all you've got with a twister, try and deplete its stamina!" Ash shouted as his own Pidgey flew higher in the air and started to flap its wings as if it was preparing a gust attack.

This time, however, the winds were much more ferocious as the air was willed with draconic energy. Gary's own Pidgey was buffeted by the strong winds, taking heavy damage from flying debris inside the twister.

"Pidgey use quick attack to escape!" Gary shouted.

"Not so fast, hit it with a quick attack of your own before it gets the chance Pidgey!"

Gary's own Pidgey glowed in a white light as it tried to use the increased speed to get out of the damaging dragon type move. However, Ash's Pidgey seemingly beat its opponent too it as it struggled with the strong winds and the two collided mid-air.

A large thud could be heard as one of the birds collapsed to the ground, unconscious. With a small tut, Gary retrieve his pokeball and pointed it at the downed bird.

"Good job Pidgey, you nearly had him."

Ash smiled as his own Pidgey glided to the floor, clearly tired from its battle. Ash held up his own Pokeball and retrieved the tired Tiny Bird Pokemon.

"You did great Pidgey, have a good rest," Ash said as he recalled the battle between the two birds. He noticed a few flaws in their battle and immediately thought of a plan of as to how he could improve for next time.

Gary pulled on the pokeball around his neck and threw it at the ground, releasing his Squirtle. Ash similarly retrieved the other pokeball from his belt, releasing Larvitar from his own pokeball.

"Just like old times 'ey Ashy-boy," Gary said with a smirk. Ash gave him a smile of his own as he looked at the Tiny Turtle Pokemon across the battlefield. It had a determined look across its face and its sheer was covered with small minute scratches, showing it had been in a lot of battles recently.

"Ready Larvitar?" Ash asked, merely getting a growl in response from the rock type.

"Your move Ash," Gary said as he got Squirtle to move into a battle stance.

"Alright Larvitar! Kick this off with an iron head!" Ash shouted as Larvitar surged forward, the blunt spike in his head glowing a metallic silver once again.

"Dodge it using aqua jet and then water gun!" Gary shouted.

His Squirtle instantly responded to his commands, ducking into his shell and firing high pressured volumes of water out of some of its shell, propelling it to the side and out of the way of Larvitar's attack.

The rock type stumbled after missing its target, allowing the turtle to hit it with a super effective water gun attack. Larvitar cried in pain as water seeped into its skin, weighing it down considerably.

"Larvitar, go at it again with bite, get ready to counter if you need to!" Ash shouted as he silently cursed his stupidity. He should've seen that Gary would've dodged.

"Repeat and soak it Squirtle," Gary said with a smirk. The Tiny Turtle dodged once again but as it went to fire off another water gun the water type was smacked in the face with multiple boulders, sending it backwards as it cried in pain.

"Squirtle!" Gary shouted as the Pokemon tried to get up and shook on its legs.

"Finish it Larvitar! Get in close and use an iron head!" Ash shouted as his Larvitar tiredly surged forward. Squirtle tried to fire a water gun at its advancing opponent but it was too exhausted, meaning it could only pull off a pitiful excuse for an attack. The turtle gave a smirk of its own, similar to its trainer's, as it was hit by the powerful steel type attack; content with the battle it had.

"Squirtle!" Gary shouted again as he ran over to the unconscious turtle on the battlefield. Larvitar gave a smile of its own as it collapsed onto its backside, too tired to stand. Ash walked over and picked up the rock type, grunting slightly at the added weight of the water trapped inside its hide. In an hour or two the water would hopefully drain away, allowing the Pokemon to go back to normal.

Both trainers met in the middle of the battlefield, shaking hands as they looked at each other. Both realised how far each of them had come over the short period of time.

"Well done Ash, you battled well," Gary said as he opened his backpack to retrieve some potions. Ash gratefully accepted one, which he used to treat his Pokemon. After a while all four Pokemon were in Fisk shape once again.

"So I guess I'll see you around Gary," Ash said as he looked at his friend. The brown haired boy nodded as he walked off in the direction of the Viridian forest.

"Yeah see you soon Ash," Gary said, forgoing his usual nickname for his friend. However, before he could get any further away, the trainer stopped and turned around to face Ash.

"Also I don't know if you remember, but I saw that purple-haired boy we met back at Gramp's summer camp. Apparently his brother is facing these new battle facilities around the region."

Ash's face lit up in recognition as he thought about the boy he had thought with the turtle-like grass Pokemon.

"Thanks for the heads up, see ya Gary," Ash said as the boy continued to walk after delivering his information.

...

...

...

"When is this forest going to end!" Ash shouted out loud as he forced his way through another part of the Viridian forest.

The trainer had been attempting to make his way through the dense vegetation for the past couple of hours and he wasn't getting as far through as he had originally hoped.

He'd also battled a large amount of trainers in the forest, mainly the group of trainers that labelled themselves as 'bug catchers'.

Bug catchers were trainers who tried to catch the easily available bug types present in the forest and attempted to make them into fighters.

Ash's Larvitar and Pidgey made short work of their Pokemon, showing they weren't doing a terribly amazing job at it. Most seemed to have Pokemon such as Caterpie and Metapod, Pokemon who were weak to moves such as Pidgey's gust and Larvitar's rock slide.

Ash had considered trying to teach his Pokemon new moves but he figured that for now it'd be more worthwhile for them to work on their stamina, allowing them to last longer in tougher battles. The two Pokemon had ended the day knackered.

Ash continued walking through the darkening forest for several minutes before he heard a loud cry in the distance.

Ash sprinted off through the forest, towards the cries of pain. Bursting through the clearing, Ash noticed a lone Pokemon lying on its side with a large gash across its body which was bleeding heavily.

The Pokemon was vaguely dinosaur looking, with blue skin, and it had a large bulb on its back which helped Ash indicate it as a Bulbasaur. Ash raced over with haste as he looked around for whatever could have done this.

With a burst of red light, Ash released his Pidgey and Larvitar, putting his Pokemon on sentry duty as he went over to help the injured grass type.

Uncapping a potion, he had retrieved from his bag, Ash began to spray the medicine over the large wound, making the starter Pokemon groan with relief evident in its cry.

After a while the wound began to lose its redness and the bleeding started to slow, indicating the potion was working. After a while the Bulbasaur began to move again, energy returning to its body as it tried to get onto its front once again.

Ash gently helped the small dinosaur back onto its feet, allowing the grass type some room as it got used to walking once again.

Rummaging through his backpack again, Ash retrieved an Oran berry, which the Seed Pokemon happily munched on; gaining back a large amount of its lost energy.

After a while the Bulbasaur was running around, back on its feet and bounding around the clearing.

Satisfied that the Bulbasaur was going to be ok, Ash got up and turned around to leave. However, as he went to leave the small grass type tapped on his shoulder with a long vine.

"Huh?" Ash said as he turned around the face the small dinosaur. Using its vines, the dinosaur pointed another direction and then using the vines to drag the trainer in that direction.

"H-Hey wait! I need to be travelling north-"

Ash stopped talking soon after. Whilst he was being dragged along gently by the grass type he had activated his Pokedex, which showed him that Bulbasaur was indeed correct and it was taking him north.

"Hehe my bad," Ash said as he sheepishly rubbed his head.

Behind him, his two Pokemon he had released sweat dropped at their trainer.

"Lar-Larvitar," the Rock Skin Pokemon muttered as it held a hand up to its head in embarrassment.

"Pid-gey," Pidgey said as she hid her head behind one of her wings.

"I'm not that bad with directions right?" Ash said out loud whilst laughing nervously. After a while of no reply Ash spoke up again nervously.

"Guys?"

...

...

...

-Time Skip -

It had been a week since Ash had first entered the forest and each day passed in a fairly similar matter to the first. They would make their way through the forest with Bulbasaur as their guide.

Every now and again they would face a trainer in a Pokemon battle. Most of them were 'bug catchers' who were easily defeated by Larvitar and Pidgey with their super effective moves and good type match ups.

They even occasionally met a trainer who had more variation to their team, using the occasional fire type or in one situation an Abra, which teleported around the forest, making it difficult to hit.

Once the forest started to get darker they would set up a camp in a clearing, with Ash letting his Pokemon rest beside him in order to warn them about any threats lurking nearby. Bulbasaur, always stayed awake, usually searching around the area until he found a clearing where it could stare at the sky. Ash had watched it for a couple of nights, the Bulbasaur simply sat there, reminiscing over something. After the first couple of nights Ash had decided to simply let it be.

After a while the four of them noticed the forest becoming thinner, indicating that they were getting towards the edge of the forest.

"Bulba!" The small grass type shouted as they reached a clearing, indicating something was wrong.

"What is it?" Ash asked as he looked at the Seed Pokemon. Almost immediately Bulbasaur glared at a small bush on the edge of the undergrowth. Ash stared at the bush for a second and was about to walk away when the bush started to shake madly.

*HISS*

Ash shivered as heard the hissing coming from the bush. Slowly, the familiar long body of Weedle crawled out of the bush, it's stinger dripping with venom.

"So you still want to fight..." Ash murmured as he grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. Flinging the red orb in the direction of the bug Pokemon, releasing Larvitar from the pokeball. The Rock Skin Pokemon looked around for a second before glaring at the Weedle.

"Larvitar, hit it with a rock slide," Ash shouted as Larvitar started to summon large boulders in the air above both it and its opponent.

The rocks which fell above Larvitar were brutally kicked or punched in the direction of the Hairy Bug Pokemon by the rock type, using its stubby arms and legs to its advantage.

However, the Weedle didn't go down easily, using its lithe body to dodge around the boulders sent at it with surprising grace. After realising the attack wasn't going to work, Larvitar stopped the attack.

After a moment the bug type hissed and released dozens of poisonous stingers at the Rock Skin Pokemon, who dodged with surprising agility for such a heavy Pokemon.

"Alright try to get in close and use bite!" Ash shouted as dark energy began to build up inside Larvitar's mouth, forming razor sharp teeth made up of dark energy.

The rock type lunged at the Weedle, clamping its jaws around the small serpentine body. Weedle cried out in pain as it took the full force of the attack, swiping its tail across Larvitar's tough hide in an attempt to penetrate it. However, it had no such luck and was force to ensure until its opponent released it and carefully jumped backwards.

Luckily for the Weedle, being a bug type meant that it didn't take as much damage from a dark based move.

"Alright Larvitar, finish it up with an iron head!" Ash shouted as Larvitar charged forward one more time. Its blunt spike took on the familiar metallic colour as it was rammed into the Weedle, making it cry out in pain before rolling along the floor, unconscious.

Ash had readied a pokeball in his hand once again, which he threw at the downed bug Pokemon. Instantly the Hairy Bug Pokemon was sucked into the Pokeball which rocked from side to side as it tried to escape.

It rocked once... Then twice... Before the Weedle broke out again. However, before it could run away again, two vines came and entangled the bug, preventing it from escaping. After a couple of seconds, a light powder wafted in front of the Weedle, making it fall unconscious.

Ash shot Bulbasaur a grateful look as he threw another pokeball at the Weedle, who was unable to fight back after being put to sleep by Bulbasaur. The button on the Pokeball glowed a bright red before fading away, showing a successful capture.

"Yes!" Ash shouted as he held up the pokeball triumphantly, Larvitar by his side cheering enthusiastically.

"We caught a Weedle!"

...

...

...

Whilst the battle between Larvitar and Weedle was going on the small bug type began to notice small things about its opponent.

It had watched both the rock-looking Pokemon and the bird Pokemon over the past week in the forest, studying them out of curiosity and watching in wonder as they grew at exponential rates.

For a fleeting second the Weedle thought that maybe the trainer could help to get stronger before the adrenaline began to pump again as it dodged more boulders from the rock-looking Pokemon.

As soon as its opponent got in close the bug type knew it had no chance, only being able to use its stingers which had so far proved to be ineffective against its opponent. A fleeting thought crossed its mind in the midst of battle once again as he thought of the power the trainer could offer him, bringing out his full potential like what had happened with its opponent.

As it was struck by the first pokeball fear began to flash across its mind. What if the trainer abandoned him? Or worse, what if he abused him?

The fear in its mind forced it to act, making it free itself from the pokeball. The Weedle went to run again but before it could it felt some large vines grip its body, preventing it from escaping. Twisting around, the bug type looked on in surprise as he noticed it was in fact the green Pokemon holding him in place.

"Why?" Weedle thought to itself as it studied the grass type. The bug knew it wasn't part of the human's team and yet it was still helping it catch him.

What was so special about this human?

Weedle felt itself slipping into unconsciousness, something which it surprisingly welcomed. As the world around it started to fade into blackness the small bug type felt itself get struck by another pokeball.

The Weedle felt its body being turned into red light as it was sucked into the red ball the trainer had thrown.

Maybe being caught wouldn't be so bad after all.

...

...

...

Ash sighed in relief as he picked up the pokeball which held the newly caught Weedle. It had evaded him for weeks but after some time he had finally managed to catch it. As the trainer scanned the pokeball in his hand with his Pokedex something appeared which made the trainer laugh.

"Of course the Weedle would have the ability run away, especially after all of the grief it gave me trying to capture it," Ash laughed to himself as he clipped the ball to his belt.

"This Weedle knows the moves: Poison sting and string shot."

Ash notes the limited move pool and frowned. He didn't have a lot to work with here. However, as he recalled the small bug's persistent attitude towards its goal he smiled, knowing he had just gotten himself a hard working team member.

After a while, Ash could see only a few stray tress surrounding him. Civilisation was in reach and the trainer was eager to be able to shower and change from his dirty, outdoor clothes into more comfortable wear and eat all he could.

None of Ash's Pokemon were particularly thrilled with being stuck in the forest for so long either, having to deal with the large quantities of bug Pokemon every day. Not to mention that none of them naturally lived in a forest, making them slightly uncomfortable within the trees to begin with.

As they reached the very edge of the clearing Bulbasaur, who was leading Ash through the forest still, stopped walking causing the trainer to almost bump into it.

The two stood in silence for a while before the Seed Pokemon turned around to face the trainer, it's eyes shining with determination.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" It shouted as it pawed at the ground with one of its front legs. Ash looked at the Pokemon in confusion before the Pokemon started to stamp its feet.

The trainer yelped as one of the grass type's vines smacked the side of his bag, allowing a single pokeball to fall to the ground.

Ash looked at the ball for a second before realisation spread across his face. Bulbasaur, however, showed no outward reaction as it stared at the red orb.

Then. Slowly it nudged the button on the centre of the ball with its face, causing it to be engulfed in red light and sucked into the ball. The ball didn't even rock as the red light faded, indicating a successful capture.

Ash smiled as he picked up the pokeball and looked at it. Slowly pocketing the ball he turned around and started to walk towards the flashing lights of Pewter city which gleamed in the light of the setting sun.

"Welcome to the team... Bulbasaur."

\- End of Chapter -


	4. Chapter Four

Rise of a Champion Chapter Four:

" **Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. Bulbasaur is known for storing toxins it creates using photosynthesis in its bulb.**

 **This Bulbasaur is female and has the ability: Overgrow.**

 **Bulbasaur knows the moves: Vine whip, sleep powder and tackle.**

 **Egg moves are: Leaf storm, giga drain and grasswhistle.** "

Ash whistled as he listened to the Pokedex list his Bulbasaur's moves and potential egg moves. Ash patted the grass type on the head, who growled and rubbed its head into the trainer's hand with a smile.

So far they had just about made it to go the outskirts of Pewter city, where there were few buildings scattered around. The city centre was still about a half hour walk from where they were standing.

Ash then pulled out another pokeball, but instead of releasing the Pokemon inside Ash simply stared at it.

The pokeball in his hand contained his recently captured Weedle, who Ash hadn't let out of its pokeball yet.

Truth be told, Ash didn't know how the bug type would react once released. It had been aggressive beforehand and now it was captured the Hairy Bug Pokemon wasn't likely to be any less so.

The trainer sighed as he pulled out two other pokeballs and tossed them onto the ground, releasing their tenants inside.

Larvitar and Pidgey wearily looked around before staring at their trainer. Bulbasaur slowly walked over and joined the other two Pokemon.

The three Pokemon made room for their new teammate who Ash hesitantly released.

The Weedle's familiar form appeared before them, hissing angrily at the trainer and his three Pokemon. A single stinger was flung in their direction, which was easily knocked out of the air by one of Bulbasaur's vines.

Before it could attack again, Larvitar crashed into it, sending the bug type skidding along the floor for a couple of metres before it finally came to a stop.

The Weedle hissed before Ash yelled loudly and stood between the two of them.

"Stop!"

Both Pokemon hesitated for a second before backing off, anger present in both of their eyes.

"I know you're probably resentful that I caught you Weedle. But I did and you know what? It doesn't have to be a bad thing," Ash said as he crouched down to the bug types level. The Weedle didn't move, although the it chose to stare at Larvitar by Ash's side for a second.

Once Ash was sure he had regained the bug type's attention he carried on.

"I can tell you've got fighting spirit just by our battles. You're a strong Weedle but you can become stronger. Look at Larvitar, he's been training with me for a while now and look how strong he is. If you join my team you could be just as strong."

Weedle growled slightly before looking away from Ash. It looked away towards the forest, then towards Pidgey standing by Ash's side and then back to Ash, after which it finally nodded in agreement.

Ash smiled in relief, the fear of Weedle rejecting it, knowing that the Weedle line were generally aggressive and prideful as a species.

Hesitantly reaching forward, Ash stretched his hand out and looked the bug type in the eye, silently asking the bug type if he was aloud closer.

Weedle lowered its head slightly, allowing ash to run his hand over its serpentine body. The chitin armour felt hard but cool to his touch and Ash could feel how each of the interlocking plates were held together.

After removing his hand, Ash looked at the Hairy Bug Pokemon again, noticing how now it had become considerably more calm, although the fire in its eyes was still present.

"Alright, let's get to the Pewter city Pokemon Centre and call it a day!" Ash shouted, getting a volley of cheers from his team. Ash returned the majority of his Pokemon, although he left his starter out to walk beside him for the rest of the journey. Larvitar eventually jumped into Ash's arms after he began to get tired. His trainer was meanwhile searching in his Pokedex on possible moves he could teach his team. Anything which could help them defeat the Pewter city gym leader.

He recalled that Pidgey could learn steel wing as it was one of its egg moves, which would be super effective against any rock types at the gym. Along with this he now had Bulbasaur, who was a grass type, which would be super effective against rock types.

Scanning through his Pokedex, Ash found a move which he could teach Bulbasaur to help greatly in the next gym; leech seed.

Leech seed would allow Bulbasaur to sap away its opponent's stamina and health, whilst regaining half of the taken energy for itself. For a gym full of rock type Pokemon, who were known for being extremely durable, it could prove to be extremely beneficial.

After watching a couple of video tutorials, Ash was confident he could teach Bulbasaur the move, and released the Seed Pokemon. The female grass type looked at the trainer in confusion before Ash bent down to her level and began to stroke her head. The Bulbasaur smiled and began to nuzzle into his hand.

Ash stopped after a while and began to show the grass type the videos of what it needed to do.

"This is leech seed, I think it'll help us a lot in our upcoming gym battle against Brock," Ash said as the two watched a Ivysaur fire the attack. After a couple of rewinds, Bulbasaur nodded, confident she could replicate the attack.

The grass type concentrated for a second, the large bulb in her back rippling as it tried to expel the seed. After a couple of tries a small seed pathetically fired out of the Seed Pokémon's back and fell to the floor, where it burst into a shower if vines.

Ash rubbed his head sheepishly as the dinosaur-looking Pokemon stared at the ground, depressed.

"I'm sure you'll crack it by the time we face Brock," Ash sad with a reassuring smile. Bulbasaur have her trainer a weak grin in return before going back to concentrating on perfecting the move.

Whilst Bulbasaur was at work, Ash released his Pidgey, who he sat down at showed the move steel wing to. Ash knew this would be considerably more difficult for the bird to learn, considering Egg moves weren't supposed to naturally learnt by the Pokemon. He knew that both Pokemon would be able to master the moves soon enough, which would help considerably in the upcoming gym.

After about an hour or so Ash had made it to the Pokecenter, where he dropped off his Pokemon to allow them to rest and recover from their expedition through the Viridian forest.

Ash sat down whilst he thought about his team for the upcoming gym. For now, he wouldn't be able to use Weedle, considering the Pokemon was weak to rock type moves and its limited move pool wouldn't be helpful whilst batting any of the gym leader's Pokemon.

He knew that he would have to take Larvitar, Pidgey and Bulbasaur.

Around an hour later, Ash had devised a strategy and collected his Pokemon. The trainer decided to book a room for himself where he had his first shower in a week.

After getting refreshed, Ash started to make his way over to the gym. It was only a short walk away from the Pokemon Centre and when he finally got to it the trainer was shaking with both anticipation and excitement.

The building wasn't as big as Ash had originally envisioned it, only being a couple of stories high. Large, thick stone slabs stood either side of the door, barely held up by thick wooden beams. From the other sides of the building the gym looked completely normal.

Ash tried to push the door open but it refused to budge, the large wooden door seemingly to heavy for the young boy to move.

After a couple of moments, the doors swing open on their own. A small waiting room waited on the other side of the door, with a single desk which had a secretary sitting behind it.

Ash walked over and began to talk, but before he could the secretary looked up with north in her eyes.

"The door is automatic you know."

Ash went a bright red as he realised she must have been able to see his struggle.

"S-sorry, I'm here to battle the gym leader," Ash said nervously. The secretary smiled warmly at him before starting to type away on her computer in front of her.

"I'm guessing this is your first time challenging a gym?" The woman asked, to which Ash nodded in agreement.

The woman afterwards asked him to hand over his Pokedex, which could act as a form of identification and scheduled him for a gym battle. After a small wishing if good luck, Ash walked on through to the gym's battlefield.

The room was dark and he could feel hard stone beneath his feet as he walked forward. Ash could just about make out a thin path of flat stones which led to a dimly lit area in the centre of the room.

Sitting on a pedestal was a young man, most likely five or six years older than Ash with tanned skin and a light green vest.

The teenager hadn't turned to face the new trainer yet.

"What are you here for?" The teenager asked, his voice echoing throughout the battlefield.

"I'm here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge," Ash said with determination in his voice. He noticed that the man's eyes were barely open.

"Very well. I'm Brock the gym leader It will be a three on three with no substitutions," the man, now identified as Brock, told him. Ash nodded in acceptance as he got his first Pokemon ready in his hand. Brock nodded and pointed to one end of the room. Indicating where Ash needed to walk to.

Very slowly the lights in the room started to flicker on, revealing a rugged battlefield covered in boulders and small pebbles; a rock type's haven. In the centre there were a few flat stones that provided a smooth surface in the centre. Around the battlefield were a couple of stands for spectators to sit in and watch the battle from.

Brock himself had walked over to the other side of the room, a pokeball in his hand. The gym leader waited patiently for Ash to finish looking around before he shouted.

"Are you ready!"

Ash merely nodded as he released his first Pokemon, his Pidgey. The trainer noticed the small smile that played across the gym leader's face as he threw his own pokeball.

A small rock with large eyes and two powerful, stone arms appeared in front of Ash's Pidgey, slamming its fists together intimidatingly. A Geodude.

A gym trainer walked towards the edge of the battlefield, acting as a referee for the match.

"Begin!"

Ash wasted no time in shouting out commands.

"Alright Pidgey! Start it off with a twister attack!"

The small bird began to flap its wings, making small tornados fly towards the rock type, which flinched as it was pelted by the harsh winds and draconic energy.

Brock however, stood calm as he watched his Pokemon take the attack.

"Retaliate with rock throw, show him why he shouldn't bring a flying type to a rock gym," Brock said with a smirk, which made Ash growl in annoyance.

"Pidgey! Get in close and retaliate with steel wing! Don't let its attack hit you!"

The Tiny Bird Pokemon let out a cry as it dived towards the rock type, its wings shining with a metallic gleam. Dodging the single rock that the Geodude threw at it, the flying type smashed its wings into the rock type, sending it flying into the wall.

*CRACK*

Geodude cried out in pain as it fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Impressive... But that was just my warm up go Rhyhorn!" Brock shouted a she lobbed another pokeball at the field.

A small, dinosaur-like rock type appeared on the battlefield, it's heavy body creating a small crater in the field.

Pidgey cooed as it looked at its new opponent, to which Ash gave it a reassuring smile.

"Just do your best Pidgey! Hit it hard and fast with a steel wing!"

The bird once again raced forward, its wings glowing with the familiar metallic colour. Brock however, was prepared for it this time, shouting at his Rhyhorn to dodge the attack before shooting off a rock blast.

The heavy Pokemon was sharing my agile as it moved out of the way just in time, Pidgey's wing only managed to deal a glancing blow on its armoured plates, failing to even make it flinch. Soon after the heavy Pokemon launched a volley of small rocks at the Tiny Bird Pokemon, most of which missed their target although a two managed to strike the flying type, making Pidgey spiral out of control in the air as it cried out in pain.

"Pidgey!" Ash shouted in worry as he watched the bird plummet to the ground. However, mid fall the bird was enveloped in a bright white light.

And soon after the light dimmed, allowing Ash to see that his Pidgey had survived the fall. However, Pidgey had changed…

The bird had grown, the crest on its head had gone a bright red and the talons on its feet had become sharper. The fierce bird gave a ferocious battle cry as it swooped overhead.

Instead of being a Pidgey, the flying type was now a proud Pidgeotto. The bird gave a cry of valour as it awaited an order from its trainer.

"Wow you evolved! Well done Pidgeotto!" Ash shouted as the bird chirped at his praise. The two quickly fell back into focus however as they looked at their opponent back in front of them.

"Hit it again with another steel wing!" Ash shouted as Pidgeotto sped forward, its wings glowed.

"Take the hit! And then counter with more rock blasts!" Brock shouted, knowing now that his Pokemon would have no chance to dodge. Rhyhorn groaned at the attack hit before firing off more small rocks, most of which hit Pidgeotto.

Ash could see that the flying type was struggling to stay in the air, it was tiring quickly.

"Pidgeotto! Hit it with your most powerful twister!"

"Battle through it with take-down!" Brock shouted instantly. Pidgeotto managed to summon the large twisters of winds, which smashed into the Rhyhorn as the latent draconic energy started to damage it. Rhyhorn, however, was able to battle through the winds as it glowed with a white light and it cannoned into the flying type, knocking it out easily. The bird didn't even make a sound as it fell to the floor unconscious.

"Well done Pidgeotto," Ash said as he recalled the Pokemon. Without a word Ash threw his next Pokemon onto the battlefield, revealing Bulbasaur.

The grass type looked at her trainer before her eyes gained a ferocious look to them. Rhyhorn across the battlefield shuddered slightly as it realised it was facing a grass type.

Rhyhorn generally had very small brains, meaning it was difficult for them to learn in the wild. However, on an instinctual level, Rhyhorn still recognised a type which it was severely weak to.

"Alright Rhyhorn! Try and keep it away with a rock blast!" Brock shouted, trying to weaken down its opponent.

"Dodge it and counter with vine whip!" Ash shouted as Bulbasaur dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the rocks blasted at it. Soon after the Seed Pokemon sent its two longs vines after the rock type.

Rhyhorn groaned in pains at the two long vines lashed at it, adding further damage to its body after it took the steel wing from Pidgeotto earlier. With a small shudder the Rhyhorn fell to the ground, unconscious.

Brock looked amazed at the Bulbasaur in surprise before returning his second Pokemon. Holding his third pokeball for a moment in his hand, Brock looked at Ash standing across the battlefield.

"You've done well, to have beaten both of my Pokemon so effectively deserves praise. I hope you're ready for my next Pokemon though, go Onix!"

Ash blanched as a massive snake like Pokemon made entirely out of stone materialised, easily towering over both Bulbasaur and its trainer, and it began to glare at its opponent.

"Body slam!" Brock ordered as the large rock snake tried to flatten Bulbasaur beneath itself. Needless to say, Ash didn't need to tell Bulbasaur to dodge that attack.

Onix were known for being large bulky Pokemon, which could make a tackle hit like a truck. However, they weren't as bulky as they looked and could easily be put down by strong grass or water type moves.

"Vine whip! Then follow it up with sleep powder!" Ash shouted as a counter. Immediately his Pokemon lashed out with its vines, the attack easily cutting into the rock types body. Soon after the air was filled with a green powder; sleep powder.

"Dig Onix!" Brock roared as the rock snake forced its large body and tear into the ground using its crest, easily disappearing beneath the battlefield. Bulbasaur kept himself close to the ground, it's vines gentler moving around it ready to pull itself out of trouble whenever possible. The ground beneath the grass type began to crumble, giving the grass type time to pull itself away as the huge rock snake appeared beneath it.

"Now use leech seed!" Ash shouted as the Seed Pokemon shot the attack at the Onix, hitting it square in the face. The rock snake roared in pain as vines erupted from the seed and snaked their way across its face, blinding it.

"Onix try to use rock throw!" Brock roared as the large snake tore off a part of one of the nearby rocks and lobbed it in Bulbasaur's general direction, easily missing the small Pokemon.

"Finish it off with a vine whip!" Ash shouted as Bulbasaur began to pelt the large rock snake with her vines, making the large Pokemon cry in pain before it fell to the floor, sending up a large cloud of dust.

"Yeah we did it!" Ash shouted in televised and Bulbasaur came bounding over, knocking into its trainer and sending them both sprawling in the ground. Ash laughed slightly as the grass type nuzzled into his face. Ash praised her and petted her head for a moment before returning Bulbasaur and getting to his feet. When he got up off the ground, Brock was waiting for him merely a few feet away.

"You surprised me, well done," the gym leader admitted as he held out a small badge shaped like a boulder towards the trainer. Ash gratefully accepted the badge with a large grin on his face as he pinned the badge to the inside of his jacket.

"I'm interested though, what would your third Pokemon have been?"

Ash pulled out Larvitar's pokeball and released the rock type, making Brick smile slightly.

"Raising a rock type, you've impressed me even more, he's in good shape so make sure to keep doing whatever you are doing to look after him," Brock said with a smile as he studied the small Pokemon.

The gym leader also held out a small CD to Ash, which made him look up in shock.

"This is a TM which contained the move Rock Tomb. Usually we're supposed to try and demonstrate the move to our challengers at least once but I guess I got a little carried away..." Brock explained as he rubbed the back of his head.

Obtaining TMs was exceptionally difficult for most trainers, especially considering that they cost large amounts of money. The technology was owned by a company in Saffron city known as Silph. Co, who had patented the idea. Considering the amount of protection around the production of TMs it was literally impossible to replicate the technology.

TMs allowed trainers to teach their Pokemon moves that would either be difficult to teach them normally or would otherwise be unable to learn. They were exceptionally useful tools for trainers but there were downsides. Certain species of Pokemon were only compatible with certain TMs and their prices could range from $10000 to $50000 in price, making them extremely expensive.

The gym leader also handed the trainer a small stack of money as well.

"You also get a set amount of cash for winning against a gym, make sure to use it wisely," Brock advised as Ash took the money in confusion.

"How does the Pokemon League even make so much money?"

Brock smiled at this and looked at the child in amusement.

"Pokemon tournaments are single-handedly the most popular shows on any TV channel, not to mention they own the shops such as the Pokemarts and even stakes in large companies such as Silph. Co." Brock explained as Ash's eyes widened in amazement.

"That's crazy to think how much money they must make..." Ash trailed off as the gym leader laughed.

"Yeah I can't even imagine the numbers..." Brock said wistfully before turning around.

"Anyway, I wish you good luck on the rest of your journey, with any luck I'll be seeing you at the conference this year. Any questions you have feel free to call my gym."

Ash watched the gym leader walk into a side room with a smile on his face.

"Thanks Brock."

...

...

...

"Selling amazingly strong Pokemon for only $500!" A lone trader shouted across the street. Ash looked at the man in confusion before walking over.

"A strong Pokemon?" Ash asked out loud as he watched the vendor pull out a pokeball and hold it out to the trainer.

"Inside here is an insanely strong Pokemon that only the strongest of trainers can train. Do you think you can handle it?" The trader asked as Ash looked at the pokeball in excitement, failing to notice the gleam in the seller's eye.

"I'll take it!" Ash shouted as he handed over some of the winnings he had made during his trip through Viridian forest. After winning the gym battle against Brock Ash wasn't too concerned over the $500 price tag.

The trader handed over the pokeball before giving Ash a wave as he walked off.

(Five Minutes Later)

"Umm..." Ash said as he looked at the Pokemon in front of him. A small orange fish flapped around on the pavement in front of him weakly. Ash quickly returned the Pokemon and walked over to a nearby pond, thinking maybe the water would help it.

To his dismay the Pokemon simply floated near the top of the water, staring at him blankly.

"Karrrp!" It moaned in the water as Ash sweat dropped at it. Pulling out his Pokedex Ash scanned the fish Pokemon.

 **"Magikarp, the Fish Pokemon.**

 **Magikarp is known as one of the world's weakest Pokemon species. No one knows how it had managed to survive.**

 **Magikarp is a water type.**

 **This Magikarp is: Female and it had the ability: Rattled.**

 **This Magikarp knows the moves: Splash and Tackle.** "

Ash frowned as he looked at the water type in front of him, clearly puzzled. After a while Ash gave up and simply resorted to petting the fish in the water, to which the Magikarp rubbed its scaly head against his hand.

"Karrrrrp."

Ash sweat dropped as the fish cried out again. He scanned the female Magikarp once more with his Pokedex.

" **Magikarp can learn no Egg Moves, it does have other moves it can learn.** "

Ash selected TM moves, to which he found the water type couldn't learn any. However, Ash could see that it could learn one other move naturally. Praying it was strong, Ash selected the option and...

Flail.

Sighing and stashing away his Pokedex, Ash took off his shoes and dipped his feet in the water, watching his Magikarp swim around his feet. The trainer absently noticed that the water type was fairly fast and agile, being able to dive in and out of his legs and change direction easily.

Ash took one more hopeful look at his Pokedex to see if he could get any more information about the Pokemon he brought.

Evolutions.

Ash hadn't noticed before but it seemed as if Magikarp had a single evolution which it could become. After clicking on the next evolution Ash nearly dropped his Pokedex in surprise.

According to the database, Magikarp would evolve into a Gyarados.

Gyarados was seen as an apex predator of the water, with its sharp fins, powerful attacks and ferocious nature. To think it evolved from something as small as Magikarp…

"Wow so you grow up to become really big and strong huh?" Ash asked out loud to the small fish, who released some bubbles in agreement.

"Well welcome to the team Magikarp," Ash said happily as the fish swam up against his leg once again. After interacting with the small water type for a while, Ash returned her to her pokeball and started to walk to the Pokemon Centre to prepare for his next journey.

His team was growing by the day and they were getting stronger too. He noticed that a lot of his team was close to evolving. Bulbasaur's large bulb on her back was starting to get bigger, meaning it was nearly ready to bloom. Weedle too was getting closer, which was shown by his body starting to become more durable and its exoskeleton thicker. It wouldn't be long until either of them followed Pidgeotto and reached the next level of their growth.

He had everything packed and ready for the next leg of his journey through Mount Moon, which he hoped to reach within the week. And eager and determined look spread across Ash's face as he thought about his journey so far. He wanted to be at Cerulean city as soon as possible.

So he could show the world how good he really was.

...

...

...

Mount Moon was an imposing sight, towering above Ash and dwarfing even the tallest trees around for miles. A couple of stray Fearow and even a Dodrio, which was a rare occurrence, could be seen nesting on the edge of the mountain, occasionally squawking and snapping at each other threateningly.

Ash gulped as he thought about the mountain. The only known way through the behemoth of a mountain was to go under it, any other routes taking weeks on end.

"Might as well get this over with," Ash thought as he walked past the lone Pokemon Centre at the foot of the mountain.

Ash didn't need to stop, considering he still had most of his supplies left, more than enough to make it through Mount Moon.

The trainer had slowed down considerably since he had left Pewter city, choosing to battle as many trainers as he could to get his Pokemon valuable experience.

And it had paid off, a few days after he had left Weedle had evolved into Kakuna. The Cocoon Pokemon had instinctively learnt the move harden as it evolved, allowing it to tank more hits, but at the sacrifice of his speed and mobility. Ash knew that'd change as Kakuna evolved but for now the bug type would have to endure and get used to its cocoon-like body. However, with the growth of its mandibles, Ash had also been able to teach the bug type the move bug bite as well, which had proved to be a match winner in many occasions.

Bulbasaur had reached her next stage of growth only a day after Kakuna; becoming a strong Ivysaur. However, she was still getting used to her body so some of her movements lacked the finesse they had previously held before.

Larvitar hasn't evolved yet, which hadn't surprised Ash. The species needed to store copious amounts of energy in order to evolve. Considering how powerful their final forms were it was no surprise to the new trainer.

Both Pidgeotto and Magikarp hadn't changed very much. Ash had taught the Small Fish Pokemon how to use flail, which it had perfected fairly quickly.

Pidgeotto had managed to learn two moves, whirlwind and air slash. By adding another powerful long ranged attack and a method to counter attacks to the bird's arsenal the bird Pokemon was starting to become an extremely hard hitter.

The trainer released his Larvitar as he walked into the mountain, the Rock Skin Pokemon yawned as he started to walk after Ash.

"I need you to stay alert for any activity whilst we're here," Ash said to the small rock-type, who nodded affirmatively. Mount Moon was known to be part of a large system of underground caves which connected all the way back to Mount Hideaway near Pallet Town. The area was known for being home to dangerous species of Pokemon; ranging from Rhydon to large Onix. Staying out of their way would be the smartest plan of action.

The cave was near total darkness; the cave system was only just about lit up by the glow of luminous moss which lined the walls. Overhead Ash could hear the high pitched squeals of Zubat which sped through the mountain. The rookie trainer winced as he clutched his ears, the bat's supersonics making him groan in pain.

*CRASH* *GYAAAAA*

Ash froze in his tracked as he heard the loud cry. The walls of the tunnel shook ferociously as Ash was sent to the floor by violent tremors. Larvitar yelped in surprise as mere metres before them large boulders sprouted out of one side of the tunnel. For a split second Ash could make out a large eye amidst the rocks before it disappeared again. After a moment the tremors started to settle as the boulders moved away from his location. Ash breathed out in relief and pulled Larvitar closer to him. The small rock type shivered as they realised how close they had come to death.

Onix were known to burrow through Mount Moon and most of the tunnels that Ash was walking through were created by their digging. Traveller which got stuck in their path could be seriously injured or even killed by the giant rock types.

The trainer and Pokemon slowly got back up to their feet, sweating slightly. After a moment the dark-haired trainer picked up his Larvitar and continued to walk forward. The trainer's flashlight did a fairly good job at lighting up the now darker areas of the tunnels, which were surprisingly vacant.

An hour and a half passed by in a flash, the rookie trainer was still trying to navigate through the tunnels. He'd encountered only a single trainer, who was too busy ranting on about finding the mysterious Clefairy located in the tunnels. When encountered, Ash had tried to get away as soon as possible, leaving the lunatic raving in the darkness of the tunnel.

A flash of bright light lit up the tunnels temporarily as Ash released his Kakuna. The cocoon Pokemon needed more outside exposure in order to gather the natural energy it needed to evolve so whilst they were wandering would be the perfect time.

The small bug type hissed slightly as it balanced in its stinger before firing a string shot at its trainer's shoulder. After a few moments the cocoon Pokemon was safely inside of Ash's arms, being carried around by his trainer.

After another hour the dark haired trainer encountered a rare sight. A small purple quadruped Pokemon hopped around in the small tunnel, sniffing around the edges trying to scavenge edible mushrooms. Ash grinned as he noticed the small Pokemon, whipping out his Pokedex in response.

" **Nidoran, the poison pin Pokemon.**

 **Nidoran scans its surroundings by using its large ears. It's horn is used for protection and contains a painful neurotoxin."**

The sound of the Pokedex talking startled the small rodent, who looked up at Ash in fear. The small trainer felt a twinge of guilt as he watched the Nidoran flinch. The trainer slowly bent down to the small rodent's level and held his hand out as an open offer. Kakuna hissed in annoyance as he was forced to jump out of its trainers arms.

Nidoran were known for hanging around the outside of Mount Moon due to its close proximity to the moonstone, but we're very rarely seen inside due to being easy prey. For a Nidoran as small as the one in front of Ash to be found here could only mean it was lost.

Slowly the timid creature hopped forward, sniffing Ash's hand and nibbling his fingers gently. The trainer laughed at the feeling of his hand being tickled and slowly started to pet the Nidoran with his other hand, being sure to mind the poisonous barbs. The small rodent chirped its name as it started to get petted before nuzzling closer into Ash's hand.

"Hey little guy," Ash said with a friendly smile across his face. The timid Pokemon looked at the trainer before hopping back slightly, narrowly missing the boy with its large poisonous barbs.

"Huh?" Ash said as he watched the little guy flinch and race off down the tunnel. With Kakuna back in his arms and Larvitar by his side once more Ash followed the Nidoran down the tunnel. Cries and screeches could be heard down the tunnel, filled with pain and distress. For creatures which could survive in conditions such as Mount Moon to be in so much pain…

Nearby, Ash could see the Nidoran from earlier cowering behind a rock, its ears had flattened as best as they could against its head. Crouching low, Ash and his two Pokemon edged closer in the shadows of the tunnel, watching the sights in front of them unfold.

Dozens of semi-docile Pokemon, mainly Paras and Clefairy, were found around the cavern in small cages, with barely enough room to stand. The Paras seemed to barely able to stand and the majority of them had their mushrooms missing on their backs. The mushrooms found on a Paras' back were used in medicines and were of great value. However, removing the mushrooms left the grass types extremely weak and barely able to move, in the wild almost guaranteeing them death.

A single cage could be seen nearby which was reinforced with electricity. Inside was a large Pokemon with blue scales which was barely moving. Its entire body was covered in burns and cuts, indicating it had obviously put up a fight. It was a Nidoqueen.

Large crates could be seen stacked in one corner of the room, filled with what appeared to be Pokeballs. Two men could be seen in black uniforms with Crimson 'R's on the front of their uniforms capturing the caged Pokemon and lobbing their balls into a crate. The site of their uniform made Ash freeze; that uniform belonged to Team Rocket.

Team Rocket was an organisation that should have been shut down nearly twenty years ago at the hand of the Champion Red. Although their leader was never discovered or apprehended for his crimes, it was thought the organisation had collapsed and were no longer in operation. For them to be operating in such a remote place as Mount Moon was a bad sign.

One of the men noticed Nidoran twitching nearby and walked over with a menacing grin on his face and Pokeball in hand. Nidoran shouted its name in fear and started to track backwards. Nidoran were one of the strongest families that could be found in Mount Moon, so it would be an appealing target.

Ash stood up from the shadows, his Pokemon hissing at the man in front of them. The adult reeled back in surprise before a vicious snarl played across his features.

"You little-t! Scram before I beat the shit out of you," the man snarled as he reached for Pokeballs on his back. Ash tensed before Larvitar stepped forward and snarled at the man, it's eyes glowing red with the power of outrage. This however only made Ash more nervous.

Outrage was a powerful move no doubt, allowing the user to unlock their latent draconic energy and channel it to provide them with fury and stronger attacks. However, it was difficult to withstand and channel the energy, even for pure dragons, and it's sheer power could leave the user enraged and confused; both of which were things Ash didn't want in a barely stable ecosystem under tonnes of rock.

"Larvitar," the trainer called out with authority in his voice. Almost immediately the red eyes of the rock skin Pokemon receded and the small Pseudo was back to normal, still snarling at the rocket agent.

The man snorted at the display in front of him and released two Pokemon. One was a familiar Zubat, which screeched angrily at Ash as it hovered overhead, flapping its wings furiously. The other was a small bipedal Pokemon covered in a tough yellow hide. Ash immediately recognised it as a Sandshrew, a ground type Pokemon, who was known to be able to shoot poison stingers from its body.

"Sandshrew use rapid spin! Zubat supersonic!"

As soon as the words had left the man's mouth the two Pokemon had started to attack; Sandshrew curled up into a ball and fired itself towards Larvitar, who intercepted the attack with an iron head.

As the two began a battle of sheer force Zubat fired a supersonic attach at Kakuna, who used string shot to pull itself out of the way before retaliating with a poison sting, it's mandibles clicking angrily.

Ash stood back slightly, watching the battle unfold, his Pokemon barely needing any direction. It was his job to look for openings now. Whilst his opponent had more experience, the Rocket agent clearly was not a very good trainer.

Nidoqueen roared from her cage as Nidoran hopped over, nearly running head first into the electrified bars. The mother Pokemon could only watch as her child was in danger and she was trapped, only able to watch.

Zubat hissed as a stray poison sting grazed it's wing, courtesy of Sandshrew. However that was the least of its worry and the cocoon Pokemon pulled itself forward using string shot, its jaw clacking together in triumph. Zubat shrieked in pain as Kakuna used bug bite on it, tearing into the flesh and sending it to the ground with blood spurting from its injured body. A stray poison sting from the Sandshrew sped towards Larvitar, who's eyes widened as he realised he barb was heading straight towards him.

"Larvitar dod-" Ash began before the Rock Skin Pokemon's Skin glowed with a metallic sheen. The Poison sting bounced off without any trouble mere seconds before Larvitar's skin went back to normal.

"Was that iron defence?" Ash muttered out loud but he didn't have any time to think on the matter as Sandshrew started to fire off more attacks.

Ash froze as he saw the Zubat fall to the ground, bleeding profusely. A similar shriek of pain filled the air as Larvitar barrelled into the Sandshrew with a powerful iron head, making Ash want to vomit as he heard the mouse Pokemon hit the wall and its rock hard shell gave way with a sickening crack.

The Team Rocket member growled in anger as it recalled the two Pokemon, spitting in the floor under ring of him as he did so. The grunt went to throw another Pokeball but was stopped by the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the cave.

"I think I should take over from here."

The member of Team Rocket Ash was fighting froze before retreating backwards, never taking his eyes off of the boy. In his place stood a tall man with a white suit on. His hair was smoothed back and held firmly in place and his eyes seemed to be an onyx black in colour, with no signs of life present inside of them.

"I suggest you hand over your Pokemon now before I get a little annoyed," the man casually yawned whilst holding his hand out, as if he was expecting the trainer to listen to his wishes.

Ash took a step back as he watched the man's face take on a sadistic expression after a couple of seconds.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, there's a reason I'm known as an Executive," the man carried on with a cruel grin plastered across his face.

"I suggest," another voice began, which made the Executive freeze in surprise.

"That next time you try to pick on a kid you make sure you can handle the consequences, you vile piece of shit."

Out of one of the cave entrances a man started to walk out, a large bipedal Pokemon with four arms close on his tail. The new character had bushy black hair that was tied into a ponytail that ran down his back. Even in the dim light, Ash could see that the man had trained his body to the limits as each of his muscles stood out almost painfully, his body bursting with vitality.

"I-Impossible, you should be at Mount Hideaway-"

The man stopped himself from talking out loud as he cursed his idiocy considering the mountains were connected it would've only been a matter of time before the news was relayed to this man.

"Machamp apprehend him," the muscled man said with barely concealed anger in his voice. Out of fear the Executive lobbed a Pokeball, revealing a coiled, purple snake which hissed menacingly at the Machamp. The Superpower Pokemon barely looked dazed as it awaited an order from its trainer.

"Arbok use-"

"Karate chop."

The Executive went to announce a move but his opponent cut in, allowing the four armed Pokemon to strike the large snake and send it flying into a wall, where it didn't move again.

"Dammit! And it was all going so perfectly," the Executive shouted in frustration as the other man walked forward and sent him to the floor, knocking him unconscious before he'd even hit the ground.

The muscled man grunted as he hefted the man up and propped against a wall before his Machamp came over and restrained the Executive in two of its arms. The Machamp's trainer sighed in relief before turning and facing Ash.

"I'm sorry you got caught up in Team Rocket's antics, we thought that they'd disbanded a long time ago."

Ash blinked for a second as he registered that the man was talking I him. Nearby his Machamp growled as he felt the Rocket Executive in his arms stir. Ash noticed the bulging muscles that rippled across the fighting type's form as shivered at the sheer power of it. Machamps were said to move mountains with their strength, and by looking at the Pokemon in front of him, Ash didn't doubt it one bit.

"My names Bruno, I was tracking an enraged Onix in the area and heard them screams…"

Ash shivered as he recalled the painful screams of the Pokemon as they were trapped and reaped for their goods.

Machamp snorted once again and looked around the room before its eyes came to rest in the Nidoqueen still caged and shaking with pain.

Rage filled it's eyes as the large Pokemon ran over to the cage and slammed one of its fists into one of the barred walls.

Ash and his Pokemon were sent to the floor as a shockwave of power spread outwards from the impact, sending a violent burst of wind at them. To his surprise Bruno still stood, looking fairly unfazed by the ordeal.

Almost immediately the large, dinosaur-like Pokemon lunged out of the cage. Machamp tensed, expecting a conflict before the distressed mother engulfed the purple Nidoran near Ash's feet in an embrace. A single tear fell down the Nidoqueen's face as she cried in relief for her child. In her arms Nidoran also cried as he was hugged by his mother, the two reunited at last.

"Nidoking after they breed generally tend to wander far from the area as breeding makes them weaker for some time. For this Nidoran its mother is probably all it has," Bruno mentioned out loud, surprising Ash.

"All he has?..." Ash muttered out loud as he thought about the past few years of his own life, learning to cope without his father who was away training.

"That must be tough…" Ash said as he turned to face the other trainer. Bruno looked at the boy in curiosity.

"So you're Red's son."

Ash immediately froze at his as the hairs in the back of his neck stood on end. By his sides Kakuna and Larvitar hissed and got closer to their trainer protectively.

"Relax, relax! I'm no one you should fear; I've known your father for a long time!" Bruno shouted quickly, holding his hands up. By his side Machamp growled angrily, it's free two fists flexing open and close as its anger built. Ash had no doubt in his mind that the superpower Pokemon was debating crushing them where they stood for the disrespect.

Then it all clicked. The long ponytail, the hardened body from training in the harshest environments and the Machamp which looked as if it could raze mountains. This was Bruno of the Elite Four.

The Elite Four were a group of four trainers directly under the champion in terms of both power and authority. The Kanto Region's Elite Four was known for being ruthless and to rival some champions in terms of power.

First there was Lorelei, the cool-headed master of ice Pokemon. She was known to fight with ruthless strategies that would decimate her opponents and leave them speechless with her legendary Lapras.

Next there was Bruno in front of him, the Elite Four member known for his burning passion to fight strong opponents, which he closely shared with his Fighting type Pokemon.

Then there was Agatha, the Ghost master of the Elite Four. From the battles Ash had seen the old woman was a ruthless trainer who battered her opponents without mercy. She revelled in the issues she caused for her opponents by poisoning and whittling their Pokemon down with her fabled Gengar.

And finally came Lance, the master of dragons. Feared by many for his dominance over what was arguably the most difficult typing to raise, the man was known to be able to wipe the floor with his opponents and leave pure destruction in his wake.

The Elite Four stood in the top five most powerful trainers in Kanto, Lance being second only to the champion Red himself. To have one of the legendary trainers in front of him now was astonishing.

Ash started to bow towards Bruno before a thick, muscular arm caught him. The trainer shot back up in surprise as he came face to face with the Elite's Machamp.

The fighting type let go as soon as Ash straightened up and turned away, snorting slightly at the display. Bruno himself gave a smile as he watched the interaction.

"Machamp doesn't usually interact with others on more friendly terms than battling. Although that may have something to do with him hating the fame and fake respect we get for our strength."

Ash's eyes widened at this as he studied the two in front of him. The Elite's gaze was unyielding, studying the new trainer intensely as he looked for any signs of weakness. After a few moments Bruno smiled and dipped his head.

"You really are your father's son, you're going to go far in this world," the fighting type master commented with a wide smile. Ash faltered at himself before mentally kicking himself.

Red Ketchum, otherwise known as the Kanto champion, operated directly above the Elite Four. It was common sense that his father would know the Elite in front of him.

"T-Thanks," Ash stuttered in surprise at his words. The fighting type master shook his head with a grin across his face. If you ignored the Machamp which could crush boulders with a flick of its wrist behind them, Ash could've felt like he was talking to a familiar face.

"Most of the Onix had migrated away from Mount Hideaway to here so I followed them. I'm currently searching for the one that stands above them all in strength," Bruno explained, his eyes drifting far away at the last sentence.

"I wanted a new member for my team but it seems to have eluded me," Bruno murmured as he looked around the cavern once more before reaching into one of his trouser pockets.

The Elite retrieved a Pokeball and threw it at the ground, revealing a large, primate-looking Pokemon with shaggy white fur and shackles on its arms. The Pokemon snorted before turning to face Bruno.

"Primeape, make sure they get out of Mount Moon safely, meet me back here after," the Elite ordered as the Primeape chattered and swung its arms angrily. Almost immediately Machamp was by its side, glaring at the pig-monkey Pokemon with anger at its defiance.

"Primeape…." Bruno sighed before he walked over to the Pokemon, seemingly calming it with his presence. The fighting type's eyes widened as he felt Bruno rub its head affectionately.

"After this we'll go find you a strong opponent I promise," the Elite said with fire in his eyes. The monkey simply nodded and gestured for Ash to follow it. The trainer looked at the fighting type sceptically before Bruno interrupted his trail of thoughts.

"Primeape is a good Pokemon, regardless of its temper tantrums," Bruno said, laughing as the monkey growled in defiance. "I can promise he'll get you out of here to the Cerulean city side."

Ash stared as he watched the Primeape gesture at him once again.

"One day I'm going to challenge you Bruno, and I want you to see how far I come," Ash said as he started to run after the chattering monkey Pokemon.

The Elite smiled as he stared at the cave Ash had disappeared down, noticing the small Nidoran male from earlier bounding after him on its small stubby legs.

"Looks like your instincts were right Red, he's going to give all us old timers a run for our money," the fighting expert chuckled as he turned towards his Machamp and the Rocket Executive in his arms.

"Now how about you start answering my questions, seeing as you're already awake."

Soon after a smirk fell across the face of the Executive as he slowly opened his eyes.

"You really do live up to your reputation, Bruno of the Elite Four."

The muscled Elite glared in annoyance at the man.

"Start talking."

The Rocket Executive smirked once again at the demand.

"Make me."

Machamp growled at this and tightened his grip on the Executive, making his bones crack from strain. Bruno looked up with a large grin across his face, cracking his knuckles.

"Gladly."

…

…

…

"So he made it through Mount Moon?"

"He's doing good, I'm impressed by what I've seen," Bruno said with a grin into his communicator. On the other side of the communicator the unmistakeable sound of a Pikachu cooing could be heard.

"Thanks Bruno, I'll be back at Indigo by Thursday, for now I'm going to spend a few days in Pallet Town and show my face."

The Elite smirked at this and got up off the cavern floor. A few Zubat flew overhead of him but the fighting master wasn't to bothered by their minor disturbances.

"Delia is going to kill you, you know that right?" Bruno said with a laugh. The voice on the other side of the communicator groaned as realisation filled his head.

"Don't remind me…" The other person mumbled.

"At least you're back Red. You know she'll forgive you," Bruno offered meekly to the champion. Red simply sighed and on the other side of the communicator Pikachu had stopped chittering.

"So he had a Kakuna and his Larvitar, did you see any other Pokemon?"

"Not that I saw, although I'm sure you could ask Professor Oak considering he's Ash's sponsor. I'm pretty sure there's more to his team than I saw."

Brink could almost hear the smile on the other side of the communicator as the champion spoke.

"Whatever Pokemon he chooses I'm sure he'll train them to the best they can be," Red replied as he thought over the facts in his head.

"I'm going to have to see how far he's come myself, to get a badge so early on in his career is astonishing, let alone on his first try. Plus I think I've got a lot of explaining to do…"

"He'd understand. Speaking of which… Did you find what you were looking for?" Bruno asked as a more serious tone overtook his voice.

"I found three, two of which I can use. Blue found one of his own," Red replied cryptically. Bruno simply nodded and looked up towards one of the tunnels, noticing his Primeape walking towards him.

"That's good to hear, now I'll get back to my search and I'll meet you at Indigo next week. I've got a challenger and there's matters at hand we need to discuss," the fighting Elite said as he sent a picture through of the Rocket Executive lying unconscious nearby, broken bones piercing through his skin. After a few moments of silence Red responded, his voice cold and unwavering.

"Bring him in next Monday, we're not having a repeat of what happened all that time ago."

Bruno stared at his Machamp, who was casually blowing fire from its mouth and illuminate the higher to reach areas of the cavern, making Zubat screech in annoyance.

"Will do, see you soon old friend," Bruno said as he turned off his communicator and walked towards his Machamp. The superpower Pokemon now had turned its attention over to Primeape, whose eyes were darting around the shadows, scanning for threats.

"Back to Mount Hideaway, we'll detain him 'till Sunday and move him after that, we'll continue training as usual once we're back."

Machamp nodded and the two walked side by side, Primeape close behind, back through the twisting caves of Mount Moon. Bruno removed one of his Pokeballs from his belt and lobbed it towards the ground whilst retrieving his Primeape simultaneously.

"Onix take us home!"

*GYAHHHH*

…

…

…

Ash groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes for the first time in hours, making him wince as it burned his retinas.

"Larvitar…" The small rock type groaned as it buried its head into Ash's body. Kakuna had long since gone back into its ball, reluctant to stay in Ash's arms whilst they were in the pitch darkness.

It had taken Primeape nearly an hour to show them the fastest route out of the mountain, leaving them half disorientated as they appeared halfway up the mountain. In the distance the bright, colourful lights of Cerulean city could be seen as the city was filled with life.

"I guess we should make our way down the mountain now," Ash said to Larvitar, who simply grunted in agreement. Inside the mountain the rock type has started to feel at home, due to being in an area similar to its natural environment.

"Nido!"

Ash and Larvitar froze as they'd heard the cry behind them. Turning around they noticed a small purple blur barrelling towards them.

A single Nidoran stopped right in front of them, panting as it regained its breath from hopping frantically after them. Nidoran's movement style wasn't build for long durations of speed and they tired quickly. To keep up with them for nearly an hour was a noteworthy feat.

"Nidoran?" Ash asked out loud as the small creature regained its composure and looked up towards the trainer. The poison type pawed at the ground with its front feet and twitched nervously.

"Nido Nido!" It shouted, turning its eyes towards Larvitar in Ash's arms. The small rock type stared at the purple Pokemon for a moment before nodding its head and wriggling out of Ash's arms.

"Larvitar what're you-" Ash began to ask before he noticed the rock skin Pokemon get into a fighting stance, its eyes trained fully on Nidoran.

"So you want to fight?" Ash said with a smile. Nidoran males were known to evolve into powerful, apex predators; Nidoking. With powerful toxins, a large range of moves which could freeze or paralyse opponents to sheer force which couldn't be rivalled by much else in Kanto.

"Nido!" The small purple Pokemon shouted in agreement as it prepared a move. The poison pin Pokemon's horn glowed a bright white as it unleashed a horn attack at Larvitar.

"Dodge it Larvitar and retaliate with an iron head!" Ash shouted as his Pokemon pivoted out of the way and rammed its head into the side of the Nidoran, making it cry out in pain. Larvitar flinched as he felt the poison points of its opponents body take across his head, the metallic covering of his iron head being the only barrier between him and the toxic spears.

Nidoran whimpered as it shook its head to get rid of any dizziness, making Ash feel slightly guilty about the strength behind the attack.

"Larvitar follow up with a-" Ash began before Nidoran charged again, although this time it seemed to glow with earthen power.

"Nido!" It cried as the small purple Pokemon smashed into Larvitar, sending him flying backwards at breakneck speed. The small rock type groaned as it came to a stop and shook its head to stave off its pain. Nidoran didn't look much better after that, lying unconscious on the floor with the only indicator of it being alive was the steady rise and fall of its body.

"What was that?" Ash said out loud as Larvitar walked over to the small Nidoran it had faced and prodded it gently with its arm, making the poison type groan in pain.

Ash fished out his Pokedex and started to scan Nidoran.

" **Nidoran Male, the poison pin Pokemon. Nidoran stiffen their ears when they sense danger and the larger their horns the more potent their venom is.**

 **Nidoran is male and has the ability: Poison point.**

 **Nidoran knows the moves: Poison Sting, Double Kick, Focus Energy and Peck.**

 **Nidoran has the egg moves: Sucker Punch, Confusion and Head Smash.** "

"Head Smash?" Ash wondered as he watched a small video connected to the move. A large, dinosaur-like Pokemon appeared on the screen with a blue dome covering its head. After a moment the Pokemon lunged forward, its head glowing as it prepared the Head Smash.

"Whoa…" Ash breathed as he witnessed the Pokemon reduce the wall it was targeting to rubble. However he didn't fail to notice the wince of pain it gave afterwards, the aftershock jarring its body. There was no doubt that it was the move executed by Nidoran, albeit imperfect. The move must deal a lot of recoil damage as Nidoran had knocked itself out cold with it.

"I guess we can work on that," Ash muttered to himself as he scrolled through his Pokedex some more. Confusion would be a good start for the young poison type as it would provide some more long range attacks to his team, something they all seemed to have a severe lacking of. Plus it'd give Ash something else to add to his ever growing training sessions.

Picking Nidoran up, taking extra care to avoid the numerous poison barns over its body, Ash fished around in his backpack with one arm and retrieved his last potion. Unscrewing the lid, Ash began to spray some of the medicine over the unconscious Nidoran, making a headway on some of its wounds before he could make it to a Pokecenter.

Ash then repeated to process with the still conscious Larvitar, who sighed in relief as his small bruises started to fade away and the pain disappeared.

Pocketing the remains of the potion Ash hoisted Larvitar into his arms and started to walk towards the city of Cerulean in the distance.

"Alright let's get to it buddy, we've got a long way to go."

"Lar!"

Larvitar shouted in agreement as the two made their way down the mountainside. The path was steep and treacherous but the two of them made it down eventually.

A couple of trainers battled them as they went past, sending out Pokemon ranging from Jigglypuff to a Meowth which consistently threw its trainer's well early Pokedollars at Ash's Ivysaur, to which it's trainer face palmed at in embarrassment. One of the trainers had been kind enough to sell off some of his supplies to Ash, including a revive which Ash couldn't obtain until he had a couple more badges. Nidoran was up again in no time taking on trainers and losing any of the battle lethargy it began with.

As a trainer Ash was really starting to come alone. His commands were short and concise, telling his Pokemon exactly what he wanted in as few words as possible. His battle times has gotten shorter as the hesitation between him giving commands and reacting to his opponents got shorter, allowing him to win more of the closer battles he'd fought. So far only one of his opponents had managed to defeat him, a trainer who had five gym badges hailing from Cinnabar Island. Even Pidgeotto's speed and lightning fast attacks the trainer's Magmar wiped the floor with him, easily downing Ash's flying type and claiming victory.

When they were about a day away from the city Ash released his team and got them ready to train. There was a ton of moves he wanted to teach them and maybe it was time they started to use them egg moves they had been gifted with.

The clearing Ash had chosen was perfect, it was large enough for them all to have a good amount of space and there were no obstructing trees which could get in the way of attacks.

Flashes of white light revealed Ash's entire team. There was a nearby creek in which Magikarp could swim, making it a perfect place for the team to meet.

"Alright guys we're gonna train until we get this right!" Ash shouted, getting cries of encouragement from his Pokemon.

"Ok let's start with Ivysaur," Ash mused as the grass type perked up at hearing her name. The dinosaur-like Pokemon trotted forward and nuzzled her head against Ash's leg, who absent mindedly stroked her head as he sat on the grass to get more comfortable. Ivysaur crooned happily as Ash kept rubbing her head.

"Today we're going to work on one of your egg moves," Ash told her, getting a nod of acknowledgement from the grass type.

Giga drain would be an insanely strong move for Ivysaur to add to her arsenal, giving her access to another way of recovering health apart from leech seed. Ash had wanted to teach the Seed Pokemon the move as a Bulbasaur but had held off on it, seeing as Ivysaur would not have had the stamina to maintain the move back then.

Searching for the move on his Pokedex, Ash began to show Ivysaur a video of a Venusaur demonstrating the move. Ash silently thanked whoever had created these videos that they'd used a Venusaur to demonstrate the move, seeing as it made teaching Ivysaur the move all the easier.

Large vines shot out of the colossal grass type's flower which wrapped around the nearby training dummy. The vines glowed a vivid green as the training dummy started to wither and crumpled over.

"Damn," Ash muttered as he replayed the clip, watching the dummy crumble under the attack. Ash already knew the theory behind it and what Ivysaur would have to do, but watching the attack in action made it all the more amazing.

"Alright think you can handle that?" Ash asked the Seed Pokemon. Firing off its vines seemed to be a starting point, which Ivysaur was already proficient at, so the next step would be initiating the attack once the opponent was bound. The idea was similar to what Ivysaur learnt whilst making leech seeds so Ash instructed her to keep at it whilst he helped his other Pokemon.

Pidgeotto was next, and Ash struggled with deciding what to teach the bird Pokemon. Brave bird still seemed out of the Pidgeotto's reach and Ash didn't want her to start learning such a reckless move before her body could handle it. Pidgeotto were known for being brittle, and serious injuries now could complicate matters down the line once she evolved into a Pidgeot.

For now, Ash sent her, Kakuna and Magikarp to practise evading and using techniques consistently, they needed the endurance.

Pidgeotto could use this opportunity to perfect its air slash attack, allowing the bird to attack at longer distances compared to its close combat fighting style. Variety is always good in a Pokemon battle.

Quite frankly, Magikarp needed battle experience as it hadn't been able to find any trainers that could battle against it. Ash knew if he started his journey around the east if the region he would've had more luck, seeing as there were far more fisherman and sea routes around there with Pokemon to battle. But for now Ash would simply have to train the Fish Pokemon wherever and whenever he could. The upcoming city of Cerulean, with its gym known for their use of water types, could maybe help the Fish Pokemon improve and grow stronger.

Kakuna still needed to get used to manoeuvring with string shot. It's new body was much heavier than it was before evolution and far less mobile. Ash knew that wouldn't be a problem soon, as Kakuna was already showing signs of evolving once more. The back of its cocoon had started to split ever so slightly down the middle and it's aggression had begun to rise drastically.

Bug types were known to evolve quickly so it wasn't a surprise for Ash, what interested him more was what Kakuna could do after evolution. Flight would be a huge upgrade compared to balancing on a stinger and jumping around with string shot, but with it came a pseudo-weakness to water as being soaked would make a Beedrill too heavy to fly. These were all kinks the young trainer would have to work out eventually but for now he'd simply help the bug type get in some endurance training and it would pay off later.

Nidoran was next, and Ash immediately set to work on teaching the little rodent how to utilise confusion. Whilst the poison type would never be able to fully utilise any psychic powers, Ash had seen that it could be used as a form of telekinesis, which would be a massive boost to his team's versatility. Trying to teach the tiny poison type the move from a video of an Abra, which was already proficient at using Psychic energy, was difficult but he knew they'd get there eventually.

And that left Larvitar. The little rock type had been struggling to control outrage, which had made him difficult to battle with. When Larvitar got too tired the move kicked in, which only made Ash giving the rock type commands even tougher. Being able to use the move without drawbacks would only add more firepower to Larvitar's battling.

Ash would see how far they could come, in all honesty the trainer didn't expect to see any improvement for a while and outrage only activated under tiredness or stress, meaning he had very limited time to train Larvitar in using it. In all honesty Ash wasn't sure what he wanted to teach Larvitar, there was only so much he could learn through the Pokedex move database, they needed real experience to help bolster their fighting prowess.

'Chip away' seemed like a good starting point. It'd give Larvitar another offensive option when battling certain foes. The move could penetrate any defence set up by an opponent so it'd be a good skill to have.

"Alright I want to teach you the move chip away," Ash told the rock type, who bounced up and down at the idea of learning a new move. Ash quickly showed Larvitar a video demonstration of the move, where a large bear-like Pokemon known as an Ursaring was showcasing the move. Within a few attempts, Larvitar had managed to get the basics of the move down and began practising the attack, reaching forward with its stubby forearms before using its rock hard blunt spike to damage nearby trees and boulders. Ash figured he'd leave him to it for a while and come back later. Hopefully the rock type wouldn't knock itself out in the meantime.

"Well well, if it isn't Ashy-boy."

A grin flashed across Ash's face as he was met with the familiar brown eyes of Gary Oak.

"Looks like you made it," Ash stated with a smirk. Gary laughed casually before playing with the Pokeball around his neck.

"Did you hear? One of the Elite Four was apparently visiting Mount Moon. There's reporters everywhere on the other side of the mountain trying to see which one it was," Gary stated as he stared back at the mountain in awe.

"How was it going through the mountain?" Ash asked. Gary most likely wouldn't have encountered any of the rocket activity in the mountain.

"It was quiet, me and Wartortle came across this Onix which tried to attack us but we sorted it. That was basically the only Pokemon we found. I'm gonna search around here for a bit now, see if I can pick up a Nidoran," Gary finished, tanking the Pokeball off of his neck.

"Guess you want to battle?" Ash said with a barely contained grin. A flash of light and the appearance of one of Gary's Pokemon was all he needed for an answer.

Squirrel had clearly evolved, taking the form of a powerful Wartortle. It's shell had grown larger to accommodate the turtle Pokemon's growth. White fur covered it ears and tail, taking away it's intimidation factor slightly. Dark blue marks covered his cheeks, making it look as if Wartortle was wearing war paint.

"Larvitar, want to give it a go?" Ash asked with a grin. Said rock type grunted in confirmation as he jumped out of Ash's arms onto the battlefield. Wartortle now towered over the rock type, which was a drastic change to a mere month ago where Larvitar was a few inches taller.

"Alright let's start this off with a water gun Wartortle!" Gary shouted as Wartortle released a high pressured blast of water from its mouth towards Larvitar.

"Dodge it and retaliate with chip away!" Ash shouted as Larvitar sidestepped the powerful blast of water that would've damaged its rock-like skin and rushed forward in its stubby legs. Wartortle was roughly grabbed by the edges of its shell and rammed with the Rock Skin Pokemon's blunt spike, make it stumble slightly.

"Shake it off and shell bash!" Gary shouted. The attack had done very little damage to the Wartortle but it had stunned it slightly. Ash could tell the water type wasn't used to taking hits, it had probably dominated most of the battles it participated in.

Wartortle started to use rapid spin, speeding it up by firing water at high pressure trough the holes in its shell. As soon as it had built up enough speed the water type fired off an aqua jet and barrelled into Larvitar, sending it flying backwards. Ash cringed as he heard Larvitar's rock hard Skin crack from the force and the water.

Water was known to be a weakness to rock types, as it could force its way into their rock hard carapaces and soften them, making them easier to break. Not to mention most rock types had an innate fear of water, due to their heavy bodies quickly sinking to the bottom and leaving them trapped.

"Right finish it off with a water gun Wartortle!" Gary shouted across the battlefield to his starter. The water type started to run towards the injured rock type.

"Take it with iron defence!" Ash shouted in desperation. Larvitar flowed with a metallic sheen as the water gun bounced off of his steel armour. The rock type deactivated the move looking no worse than he had before.

"Now hit it with a rock slide!"

Larvitar rumbled as it shot a barrage of rocks at the turtle Pokemon, making it shout out in pain as they collided with it.

Rock type moves usually weren't very strong against water types, thanks to their natural advantages over them, but being smashed into a rock would've enough to hurt any Pokemon.

"Get up Wartortle! Get in close with aqua jet and then shell bash up close!"

Ash grimaced as Wartortle sped towards Larvitar and collided with him before the rock type could act, sending him sprawling. Then, once again, the water type retreated into its shell and started to build up momentum.

"Alright Larvitar use sandstorm and find cover! And then use rock slide again!"

Large jets of sand started to erupt from the holes over Larvitar's body, which soon became a massive sandstorm. Wartortle stayed inside of its shell, trying to avoid the annoying sand that'd blind it.

Ash grinned at his advantage, seeing that Gary had no way to beat the raging sands. Wartortle cried out as its shell smashed into a nearby tree. The turtle pushed its limbs out of the shell and it stumbled around for a moment, dazed and blinded as the sands continued to race around him.

The battle was beginning to go in Ash's favour as he released the powerful weather related move. Now he had to wear down the powerful water type and the victory would be-

"Rain dance, full power."

Ash's eyes widened in shock as from within the sandstorm a large orb of water was shot towards the sky, which emulated rain.

The sandstorm immediately died down, reduced to dusty air by the heavy rain. Larvitar could be seen looking confused in the centre of the battlefield, glancing around at his dampened sandstorm. The small rock type tried to shake its body to dislodge some of the water that was soaking into his hard skin and weighing him down.

Wartortle was in him in an instant, sending Larvitar flying with a rain-boosted aqua jet. The small rock type collapsed to the floor, knocked unconscious by the blow.

Gary gave a victorious grin as Wartortle waddled over to his side, wincing at some of the new bruises it had gained on its body.

"That was a close one still Ash, if I hadn't taught Wartortle how to use rain dance you'd of abused them stupid sandstorm tactics of yours," Gary said with a grin.

"How did you teach Wartortle rain dance?" Ash asked, picking up Larvitar and holding the unconscious Pokemon in his arms as he fished around for his Pokeball, he almost missed his rival's face dropping at his question.

"Gramps said that my dad left me a few things before he went on his journey in case he never made it back in time to see me off, that was one of them," he replied sombrely. Ash winced at the resentful undertone to his friend's voice.

"Ahh I see…"

An awkward silence permeated the air for a moment before Gary perked up and pulled a Pokeball off of his belt and tossed it to the ground.

"Vee!"

A small, fox-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light. It's bushy tail swayed from side to side as the Pokemon dashed over to Gary and jumped into his chest, nuzzling the trainer affectionately.

"Gramps said he also left me this guy. I guess it made sense and all because he gave Daisy an Eevee when she left Pallet," Gary told Ash as he smiled and petted the Evolution Pokemon in his arms. Eevee started to squeak with happiness as its trainer started to stroke her.

"An Eevee… They're pretty strong Pokemon you know…" Ash breathed as he studied the Pokemon in Gary's arms. The new trainer wasn't wrong, a large variety of the 'eeveelutions', as they had been dubbed, turned up each year at the Indigo conference and it showed people how the small fox Pokemon could be such an amazing addition to any team. With seven different evolutions and a rumoured eighth being discovered in the distant Kalos region is was no surprised that they were so sought after.

"Yeah he's pretty tough too," Gary said with a smile as he scratched the normal type behind the ears, receiving a grateful 'vee' from Eevee in return. However, his smile soon faded as his eyes started to harden.

"Might be the only good thing he did for me," the Oak muttered with an angry undertone. Ash merely stayed silent and waited for the moment to pass.

"I'll be hanging out at the nugget bridge later Ash, I'll see you there," Gary mumbled as he began to walk off. Eevee jumped out of his trainers arms and began to trot beside him, the skip in his step showing Ash that the small Pokemon was completely oblivious to his trainer's turmoil.

With no one to talk to Ash recalled his unconscious Larvitar and withdrew Kakuna's Pokeball. The bug type hissed as it was released from status and clicked its mandibles together.

"Do you want to travel with me?" Ash asked. Kakuna clicked its mandibles and nodded his head, shooting a string shot as his trainer in order to pull himself into Ash's arms. Ash noticed that the cocoon Pokemon's shell was starting to shed and a small split was starting to appear at the back of the cocoon, both of which were sure signs that Kakuna was nearly ready for evolution once again.

The Weedle family were known for reaching their final stages quickly. The transition from a Weedle to a Kakuna could take only a matter of weeks and to become a Beedrill it would take even less time as the species would store energy in their shell ready for evolution.

Maybe the few battles they'd have between now and Cerulean would be enough to push the bug type to evolution.

"Kuna," the bug type hissed as Ash pulled him into a more comfortable position, with Kakuna's stinger hanging out the bottom of his arms.

"Alright let's see how many trainers we can find on the road to Cerulean!" Ash shouted as he started to walk forward, the bug type in his arms pointing his mandibles to the sky in agreement.

The trainer and his Pokemon started to battle every trainer down the route towards Cerulean city. The past month had gone so quickly for Ash, time had passed quicker than he'd expected it. The Indigo conference was dawning on him quicker than he expected, and with it the right to challenge the Elite Four… And the Champion.

"I'm coming for you Dad…" Ash muttered to himself. Kakuna looked up to him in confusion but the trainer shook his head with a small smile.

"It doesn't matter Kakuna, Ivysaur use vine whip!" Ash shouted as the grass type pounded another trainers Spearow into the ground.

He'd become the very best. Like no one ever was.

-Chapter End-


	5. Chapter Five

Rise of a Champion Chapter Five:

The Pokemon centre's TV was crowded with trainers as they all struggled to find room in front of the device. Ash sat near the front, cross legged as he watched the TV.

A single reporter stood in front of the Indigo Plateau, the home of the Elite Four and the champion, located in the mountain that surrounded both Indigo and Mount Silver.

"I am pleased to announce that after nearly five years of absence, Champion Red Ketchum is returning to Kanto!"

Whispers of surprise bustled around the room, no one dares to be too loud in fear of missing any important details.

"The Champion has announced that in two weeks' time he will once again be taking challenges from people who wish to fight for his title. As this two-week period comes to a close, the Pokemon League has also announced that Red Ketchum will also battle in an exhibition match again Lance Wataru, the stand in Kanto champion and current Johto champion!"

Trainers started to shout in surprise at this, making Ash bury his head into his jacket in order to drown out some of the noise.

"-this has been Saffron News, please tune in again later as we interview Professor Elm of the Johto region about his recent research into the new species that recently appeared around Kanto; Ditto."

As the news ended many of the trainers dispersed, leaving Ash with a scarce few trainers sitting in front of the TV, but he wasn't really interested in the shows now.

His father had finally come back to Kanto.

He didn't know how to react to the news. Had he at least visited his mother before the announcement? But more importantly, why had he left for five years…

"Would Ash please come to the main desk and collect his Pokemon?" Nurse Joy asked over the building's intercom. At that Ash got up and walked over to the desk, where Nurse Joy was waiting with her Chansey, who was carrying a tray with his Pokeballs on it.

As he went to pick up his Pokeballs from the tray Nurse Joy leant over and whispered into his ear: "I figured after that announcement you wouldn't appreciate everyone knowing your surname."

The raven-haired trainer gave the nurse a smile of gratitude as he clipped the Pokeballs to his belt and checked they were secure.

"Anyway, all of your Pokemon are now back to perfect health, although you may want to give your Beedrill a few hours out of its Pokeball before you battle with it, just to allow his wings to dry out."

That was right, Beedrill evolved from a Kakuna and the increase of power was not unnoticed. Whilst Ash realised that the head start given to the bug type would disappear in time and their opponents began to evolve their Pokemon too, the early increase in power had help him win many battles already. However, during a few of their battles, Beedrill failed to grasp flying, and his manoeuvrability was poor. Nurse Joy had told him it was because Pokemon that came from pupa needed a few hours in the sunlight to dry their wings out and get rid of any fluid that they had been soaked in during growth.

"Also there has been some mutations with your Ivysaur," the Nurse began, making Ash crease his brow in worry.

"It seems that all of your recent battling has led to the start of chloroplasts developing in your Ivysaur," Nurse Joy began. Ash looked at her quizzically and the woman kept going.

"Chloroplasts will allow Ivysaur to photosynthesise, it'll have a lot more energy than other members of its species so be sure to expect him to be a lot more agile on the battlefield."

"That's amazing…" Ash breathed as he stared at Ivysaur's Pokeball. The grass type had changed so much since Ash had met the lone Seed Pokemon back in Viridian forest. They'd been together for such a short time and yet she'd grown so strong.

"You're insanely lucky, only certain Pokemon have the capability to develop secondary abilities like this and they have to train extensively to do so," the nurse finished as Chansey turned around and walked back into the treatment rooms.

"I guess that's Chansey's signal for me to get back to work, thank you for waiting and we hope to see you again!"

The nurse walked off, leaving Ash to himself, choosing to avoid the crowds in the Pokemon centre he left the building and made his way towards the north of the city. It was nearly midday now and Ash was sure that there'd be trainers over there ready to give him a battle.

\- Victory Road-

"Snorlax, end it," Red muttered as he walked past his Pokemon. The large, dark blue bear growled angrily as it ripped into the rock shell of a Graveler and tore its solid body to pieces. Snorlax growled again as it looked around for other targets before lumbering over to Red's side. The Champion patted the large Pokemon on the side affectionately, leading to the previously hulking beast rumbling affectionately as its trainer petted its side.

"Return old friend, we're going to need the rest," Red said as he recalled the Snorlax. The man then removed another Pokeball from his waist and released the Pokemon inside.

A large roar erupted throughout the cavern, attracting the attention of any Pokemon in the next few miles of the underground cave system.

A monstrous Charizard materialised in a flash of white light, easily reaching 13 feet tall. It looked as if it weighed at least several hundred pounds, which whilst not as heavy as Snorlax it was still impressive, and the flame on the top of its tail glowed with raging blue fire. Hanging around the pseudo-dragon's neck was a small amulet with a dark blue stone set in the centre of it.

"Easy buddy, we're nearly there now," Red said as he patted the Charizard's side, making the fire type relax slightly.

"We're here," Red stated as he climbed over a rocky ridge and peered over into a crater below.

Lava trickled freely down the edges of the crater, pooling near the centre. A single ring of rock laid untouched in the centre of the crater that was easily a hundred feet wide that was alright with fire. From where he was standing Red could see large slug like creatures slithering over the lava, their bodies leaking magma which solidified across the platform. They were Magcargo, a species thought to be native to the Hoenn region. However, instead of having large, rocky shells their bodies were simply all magma, with their shells simply made of the volcanic substance.

They seemed docile so Red took the opportunity fly down to the platform on his Charizard's back. The fire type grunted as steam erupted from beneath its feet, sizzling slightly.

"Easyyy buddy," Red soothed as he slowly slid off the pseudo-dragon's back. The ground around him hissed as it came into contact with the cold soles of his shoes, steam roaring up from the ground as he took a step.

Yeah ground was littered with feathers, glowing with molten fire that was attached to obsidian frames. Some of the feathers had gone out, only leaving the brittle obsidian skeletons behind.

*Crumble*

Part of the edge of the crater crumbled away, catching the champion's attention. A single man was crouching behind the crumbled edge, who looked alarmed as he was spotted. His hair was dyed a cyan blue and he wore the familiar dark uniform of Team Rocket.

"Wait!" Red shouted as the man began to run away.

*BOOM*

The cavern shook as something was set off in the distance, rubble began to fall from the ceiling as Red shielded his eyes from the dust gathering in the cave. Wild Pokemon growled throughout the cave as they turned towards Red, growing aggressive. Without flinching Red removed another two Pokeballs from his belt and threw them.

"Blastoise, Venusaur."

The two Pokemon roared as they were released from their Pokeballs.

Blastoise was a behemoth of its species. The cannons on its back were ginormous and looked as if the water they fired could punch through steel. The water type's shell was rock hard and covered in scratches from hardy battles. Around its wrist was a bracelet made of stone which had a dark blue stone set into the centre of it which glowed with power.

Venusaur, like Blastoise and Charizard before it, was a giant of its species. The flower on its back occasionally spurted thick clouds of pollen which flowed with gold and purple energy. Thick vines erupted from the sides of its flower, which slammed the ground. Unlike Charizard and Blastoise the grass type dinosaur lacked any extra gear attached to its body.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight our way out of here and we're on a time limit old friends," Red told the three, who growled in preparation for battle.

Red tapped the centre of his hat, which had a shining stone embedded into the centre of the Pokeball design. The helical design in the centre of the stone began to glow with raw power as Red touched it with his finger. Blastoise and Charizard rumbled as the stones that were set into their armour flowed in response.

Tendrils of energy flowed between Red and the two Pokemon, making Blastoise and Charizard glow with power. Venusaur in the meantime was shielding them with a frenzy plant attack, the thick vines creating an impenetrable wall even against the overpowered fire attacks of the wild Pokemon, also blocking out any of the light that came from the lava around them.

Eventually Charizard and Blastoise seemed to stop changing shape, their silhouettes hard to make out in the dim light of Charizard's blue tail flame.

Wait blue?

The two Pokemon roared as Red smirked. Venusaur's vines eventually removed themselves, showing the trainer the small army they had to face.

"Give them hell."

And all hell broke loose.

\- Cerulean City -

"What!? The gym is closed!"

Ash groaned as he fell over onto his backside. Larvitar sighed in his arms and patted his trainer's head patronisingly whilst Ash sobbed anime tears.

According to the signs on the front of the gym, the gym was closed due the gym leaders putting on a show, inside he could hear the roar of a crowd as the show went on.

"What are we gonna do now Larvitar?" Ash groaned as he got to his feet, holding the rock type in his arms. The small rock type had gotten larger since they'd left Mount Moon, his armour had hardened considerably also, leaving it all the more difficult for opponents to damage the Rock Skin Pokemon. Ash knew that it meant the rock type was getting closer to evolution as he had also started to eat large amounts of dirt to get the necessary minerals for evolution.

"Tar…. Larvi…" the rock type mumbled as he sighed and held his head in his stubby arms. The two sat there for a while, contemplating what they could do.

"Hey! Are you two new to Cerulean!" Hey heard a voice shout nearby. Turning around they were faced with a tall muscular man, who loomed over him, making the young trainer flinch back in surprise.

"Y-Yeah? Why'd you ask?" Ash stuttered as he composed himself once again. The man stood up to his full height and gestured towards the north of the city.

"Why don't you try taking on the Nugget Bridge?"

Ash looked at him in confusion as he absent-mindedly stroked Larvitar's head.

"Nugget Bridge? What's tha-"

"ONLY THE MOST EXCITING BATTLING EXPERIENCE IN CERULEAN!"

Ash jumped back in fright, nearly dropping Larvitar, as the man took on a louder voice and bellowed to him.

"TRY IT NOW AND WIN YOURSELF AN AMAZING PRIZE!" the man continued to shout. A few people were now starting to stare at him in interest.

"A prize?"

The man snorted and bent down slightly to come onto eye level with the new trainer.

"We're giving out a nugget to commemorate our opening to anyone who defeat our five trainers first. And then we're also offering an extra special prize."

He then straightened up again and coughed to clear his throat.

*COUGH* *COUGH* "AND TO SIGN UP IT ONLY COSTS $50! $50 FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME!"

Larvitar tried to bury its head into Ash's jacket to stave off the noise as his trainer sweatdropped at the man's antics.

" _He's definitely just shouting so more people can hear him advertise…_ " Ash thought to himself before getting out his Pokedex and checking his balance. He expected to be broke after all the supplies he stocked up with as he entered Cerulean city but his balance was still fairly high.

$6500

That was enough cash for him to get into Vermillion at the very least, not to mention he could pick up more money on the way. Holding out his Pokedex he allowed the man to charge him $50 before handing him a ticket. It had the number 43 printed on the side of it and a peculiar orange coloured 'R' on the top left corner. Not thinking too much of it he pocketed the ticket looked up at the man again.

"Show that to the first trainer kid and they'll give you your first battle. I've noticed you've got an extremely strong Pokemon there with you so I expect good things," the man finished before turning around to look for other battlers. However, as he was turning around Ash caught a look in his eye of pure envy that made him shiver.

"Let's go Larvitar," Ash mumbled as he moved away and started to walk towards Nugget bridge. The rocky type grumbled in agreement and buried himself further into Ash's jacket to stave off the uncomfortable he was feeling.

The two walked in silence for a while as Ash thought about what he could do whilst in Cerulean. The city was known to have hordes of Pokemon up north just past the nugget bridge on Routes 25 and 26, so with any luck Ash could pick up a new team member there. Not to mention with Route 6 just south of the city he'd be able to find all types of Pokemon nearby.

The trip to Nugget Bridge ended quicker than Ash expected and he had reached the golden crossing in a mere twenty minutes, only stopping to pick up a fishing rod from a nearby vendor.

The bridge gleamed in the rays of the sun, measuring easily a solid 60 feet across and easily stretching backwards for a mile.

And trainers filled every single part of it.

Battlefields stretched across the bridge, the markings of each field engraved into its golden surface. In a couple of the fields you could see trainers battling with each other, some of which he expected to be the trainers he would be facing in the Nugget Bridge challenge he'd signed up for.

"Here goes nothing," Ash murmured as he walked into the bridge ready to battle.

A trainer walked up to him with a confident look in his eye, holding a Pokeball in his hand.

"You look strong enough, wanna battle?"

Ash smiled and shook his head for a moment, making the other trainer snort in frustration.

"I'm looking for the first trainer of the Nugget Bridge challenge," the raven-haired trainer replied. Almost instantly the other trainer cringed and pointed to the first battlefield along the bridge. From where he was standing, Ash could see a girl dressed in punk clothes sneering at passers-by. Taking a deep breath and readying himself he walked forward and held out his ticket.

"Hey my name is As-"

That was as far as he got before the girl snatched his ticket and held up his hand to quieten him. She studied the ticket for a while, Ash guessed it was to see if it was authentic before pulling out a Pokeball.

"What're you waiting for then? Get to the other side," she sneered. Ash snorted quietly and walked over to the other trainer box.

"Let's see how you handle this one," the girl said as she released her first Pokemon.

Ash glanced at the small purple rat which was standing in front of him baring its teeth. For someone like the girl with her attitude, to have a Pokemon like this was almost laughable.

"Beedrill, let's go!" Ash shouted as he released the bug type onto the battlefield. The Bee Pokemon buzzed in the air as he was released, his wings now starting to dry off. The bug type's manoeuvrability in the air was still shaky at best but he was getting the hang of it, and what better time to test his abilities out than in battle?

"We'll start this off with a hyper fang Rattata!" the girl shouted as the small rat sprang into action with its teeth glowing a bright white. Ash didn't need to tell Beedrill to dodge it, who narrowly avoided the attack as it hovered clumsily to the side.

"Right let's try something new! Use fury attack!" Ash shouted across the battlefield. Beedrill buzzed angrily as his stingers began to glow in white light, similar to the energy that covered Rattata's fangs earlier. Without any hesitation the insect lunged forward, jabbing at his normal type opponent and sending it sprawling as it tried to dodge, only to be clipped on its flank as it tried to move out the way.

The Rattata had the makings of a strong fighter, but it lacked the training.

"Tackle it Rattata!"

"Don't hold back, give it a twineedle!"

Rattata lunged again at Beedrill with a feral look in its eye. The bug type didn't have time to dodge before it was hit with the normal type attack, cracking its exoskeleton slightly.

The bug type buzzed furiously as its stingers began to glow a viridian green. The bug type retaliated with a powerful blow to the rat Pokemon's side, knocking it out before he even landed his second strike. The girl sneered as she recalled the downed normal type and threw out her second Pokemon.

The Pokemon looked similar to Bruno's Primeape, leading Ash to think it was the pre-evolution. It's small body was covered in white, shaggy fur and a pig's snout protruded halfway out of its body with raging eyes sitting above it. Its spindly limbs kept moving, as if it couldn't stay still, and brown, triangular ears on its head laid flat against its head as it prepared to fight.

"Mankey, use karate chop!" The girl sneered. Beedrill dodged as Ash devised a strategy to take it down. He presumed Mankey was the name of Primeape's pre-evolution.

"Alright Beedrill, use a string shot and try to bind it!"

The Bee Pokemon buzzed as it readied silk in its mouth and spat it at the fighting type. Mankey dodged most of it, stopping it from being stuck to the floor, although a bit did splatter onto its shaggy coat, making in his in anger.

Beedrill weren't known to be accurate when firing string shots in comparison to their pre-evolutions. They instead relied on more direct methods of harming Pokemon, such as injecting them with venom up close or simply stabbing them with their twin stingers. Whilst moves at range would be out of the bug type's grasp for now, Ash wanted to make sure it was something he worked on in the future.

"Mankey get in close again and use seismic toss!"

The monkey started to bound closer to Beedrill, its arms outstretched ready to grasp the bug and haul it into the air.

"Poison sting, then twineedle straight after!"

Beedrill shot off a volley of poisonous barbs from its body, impaling the monkey, which grunted as it lost its focus for the fighting type attack. Before it could react, Beedrills twin stingers slammed into it, knocking it out before its body even hit the ground.

"You did a good job Beedrill, take a break," Ash said as the bug Pokemon hovered back over to his side and clicked its mandibles.

"Tch, I guess you're not so bad after all," the girl sneered before walking off and pointing to the next field down, where a boy dressed in shorts and a t-shirt carrying a bug net was waiting.

"He'll be your next fight."

No further words were exchanged, partially because Ash couldn't think of what to say and partially because the girl couldn't be bothered.

Meanwhile the boy who was waiting for him eagerly beckoned him over, a big change compared to his previous opponent. Ash walked over, returning Beedrill to his Pokeball.

"Heya! Are you ready for battle number two of the Nugget Bridge challenge?" the boy asked as he grinned happily at Ash. Ash nodded and walked over to his side of the arena, allowing Larvitar to drop out of his arms onto the battlefield.

And then the bug catcher's smile dropped.

Looking as if he was about to cry, the boy released a Butterfree onto the field, who cried out in happiness.

"Butterfree use gust, keep it away from you," the boy mumbled as he looked at the battle hopelessly.

"Larvitar, rock slide," Ash said as he looked at the boy guiltily. The boy knew he had been beat as soon as he sent out Larvitar, something that his strongest Pokemon most likely would've had no choice in facing.

Larvitar materialised rocks above Butterfree and sent them crashing into the bug type, knocking it out easily. The bug catcher sighed as he returned his Pokemon and pointed to the next field over.

"My other colleagues are over there, thanks for battling with us."

Ash replied with his own thanks and gave the boy a potion for his Butterfree before walking off to his next battle.

For his next battle Ash used Nidoran to completely wipe out his opponent's Bellsprout and his Pidgey. Since they'd left Mount Moon he'd focused on getting the small rodent's stamina up to scratch and teaching him how to use his egg move, confusion. It wasn't perfect just yet but it let him throw an enemy back a couple of feet if they got too close for Nidoran's liking.

The next battle he got requested to do it over the water, so the fourth trainer could use his water type Pokemon. Ash ended up using Magikarp against another Magikarp, who hadn't even learnt how to tackle yet. Needless to say the battle was pretty one sided as Ash's own Magikarp rammed its opponent onto dry land, forcing his opponent to recall it.

A Goldeen was next, and the Goldfish Pokemon nearly knocked out Magikarp as it rammed into the fish with a strong horn attack. If not for Ash calling for Magikarp to tackle it out of the water and then ramming it onto the shoreline he was pretty sure he would've lost.

The battles hadn't really gotten tougher as he progressed, so Ash decided to take a small break before he carried on. He only had one battle left anyway.

Nugget Bridge had a ton of small paths leading off of it to the mountainside on the east of the bridge. Located somewhere over there was Cerulean cave, an area patrolled heavily by Pokemon Rangers where trainers were forbidden to go. It was known to be incredibly dangerous down the depths of Cerulean Cave and none- barring the Elite Four and very few others- were allowed to venture inside.

However, the low lying land nearby held a such a massive range of Pokemon nearby, so it'd be great for finding new team members.

Ash scoured the lowlands, weaving in and out of the tall grass. In the few hours he been there, he'd found a single Bellsprout which had run away as soon as it'd been spotted. Apart from that he'd seen a couple of Oddish which buried themselves into the ground and began to soak up the sunlight for photosynthesis.

With a sigh, Ash sat on the grassy floor and sighed, disappointed. The grass types were common in the region and didn't amount to much. Vileplume, one of Oddish's final forms, was known for being a glass cannon without any speed behind it. Slow and not being bulky meant that a lot of other Pokemon could easily take it out.

Bellsprout wasn't much better. It lacked the defences Ash wanted, similar to Vileplume, and instead relied on hard, physical blows to wear down their opponent, not the kind of range you wanted your Pokemon to be in if their opponent could easily blast them with a powerful flamethrower or ice beam.

In both of those cases Bulbasaur, who eventually evolved into Venusaur, was the much better choice with a much more rounded level of bulk and also a better attacking arsenal. It had access to spores and powders which could be made use of by the Oddish line and the powerful vines that were of the Bellsprout vines. Not to mention Ash's own Ivysaur would move much faster than any others of its species given its recent change. The only issue for most trainers was that they were extremely rare, with only a few being found in the wild, so you either had to pick one as your starter or find a breeder willing to sell you one.

The only other grass type that was a considerable substitute was Tangela, but they were under strict observation due to low numbers in the Safari Zone. Trying to get one of them would be next to impossible.

As Ash continued to ponder a single Pokemon moved into the clearing. It was clearly sleeping, as Ash could tell by the bubble that was slowly growing and shrinking coming from its nose. It looked like a bipedal fox, with yellow and brown armour covering its body. A small tail coiled around its body with a brown band near the end whilst its small arms and legs were sprawled out as it snoozed.

Sweat dropping at the Pokemon, Ash took out his Pokedex and scanned it, making it stir slightly. If this was what he thought it was, then that wouldn't be good.

" **Abra, the Psi Pokemon. Abra needs to sleep for 18 hours a day to recharge its telekinetic powers. If it doesn't then its powers become greatly diminished.** "

Abra could be a pain to catch, they were known to teleport away from Pokeballs if they didn't want to be caught, and then they'd have to find them again.

If an Abra didn't want to be caught, it'd make sure it wouldn't be caught.

However, they were also one of the strongest Pokemon you could find in Kanto. Alakazam were known for having amazing battle prowess, their opponents couldn't touch them.

Literally. They couldn't get close.

Close combat fighters had no chance, being unable to get close to their psychic powers. Alakazam could create barriers to block attacks and inflict the likes of paralysis and even poisoning their opponents. They'd be a valuable addition to any team. Professor Oak had one back in Pallet Town and from the times the Professor had to go out to the sea and quell raging Gyarados that threatened Pallet he knew that the Psychic type was strong. And he desperately wanted his own.

"Well here goes nothing," Ash muttered as he enlarged a Pokeball from his pack and primed it before throwing it at the psychic type.

And it looked like his luck wouldn't help him out today.

The Abra let the ball reach a mere foot away from it before catching it in its psychic grasp. With a smirk plastered across its face the Psi Pokemon crushed the Pokeball into a mound of unusable metal, which sparked as the electronics ceased to work.

It didn't teleport away however, it simply stayed there glowing with psychic power. Taking his chance, Ash released his Larvitar and the two got ready for battle.

"Larvitar, use bite, disorientate it," Ash commanded as the rock type charged forward, dark energy gathering along its jaws.

Dark types were known to be the ultimate counters to psychic types. Psychics couldn't sense them, leaving them blind to their locations and immune to their psychic powers. Their energy also disorientated them and disrupted their powers if hit with it.

By using bite, Ash was hoping it'd hide Larvitar from the Abra and prevent it from seeing where the rock type was.

And as he hoped, Abra seemed unable to locate Larvitar and cried out in a mixture of shock and pain as the rock type hit him. The Psi Pokemon rolled on the ground for a minute before getting up, its limbs no longer sprawled everywhere. Instead it had chosen to wake up and fight.

"Alright Larvitar, he's actually trying now," Ash said. Abra looked at them and snorted in humour. Ash stared at him for a moment for venturing with a guess.

"She?"

The Pokemon nodded and lifted up Larvitar with its psychic powers before throwing him into a nearby tree. Larvitar's hard shell protected it from the impact but the tree he landed on wasn't so lucky and was reduced to splinters.

"Alright, get in close with bite again and switch to iron head!"

Larvitar released more dark energy from its body and ran at Abra. The bipedal fox teleported away as she lost track of the rock type, forcing Larvitar to change course. This time he clamped down hard on the Abra's torso, poisoning it with more dark energy, before sending it flying away with an iron head.

The Abra line wasn't known for having good physical defence, their bodies were frail as the species had sacrificed their physical strength for that in the mind arts. So when Abra took the two attacks from Larvitar she went down easily, collapsing into unconsciousness.

Without hesitation Ash threw a Pokeball at the downed Pokemon. As he was doing so another Pokeball shot out of the forest nearby, nearly striking the downed Abra, but Larvitar used an iron head to headbutt it away, making it into scrap metal as it collided with a nearby tree.

As Ash's Pokeball clicked, signifying the capture another boy stepped out of the undergrowth, looking frustrated. He stared at the Pokeball lying in the floor and went to grab it, only to be met by Larvitar snapping his jaws at him angrily.

"Hey what's the big idea! Call off your Pokemon!"

The boy started to shout at Ash, who glared at him and picked up the Pokeball himself, much to the boy's displeasure. As he got closer he took note of the boy's strange appearance.

He could see flaming red hair under his hat, and his eyes were a pale grey which showed his cunning and intelligence.

"Tch, I'll get an Abra another way," the boy growled as he ran off.

"Hey wait!" Ash shouted as the boy ran off, disappearing into the long grass that lined the mountainside.

"What was that about?" Ash mumbled as he picked up his new Pokeball. Larvitar had shuffled over to his side and started to growl at where the boy had disappeared.

Taking out his Pokedex, Ash scanned Abra's Pokeball and listened to the relevant information.

" **Abra, the Psi Pokemon. Abra needs to sleep for 18 hours a day to recharge its telekinetic powers. If it doesn't then its powers become greatly diminished.**

 **This Abra is female and has the ability: Synchronise.**

 **Abra knows the moves: Teleport and confusion**

 **Abra has no egg moves.** "

Ash stared at the last sentence in surprise. Pokemon species breeding with each other was an extremely common thing, as long as they were in what was classified as their 'egg group' then chances were they could breed together. Whilst that wasn't always the case- Ash shivered as he remembered the news bulletin a few years back about a Skitty dying trying to breed with a Wailord as they were both in the same egg group- it had meant that moves that usually wouldn't be accessible to a species was now plausible.

For Abra to have no egg moves meant it's ancestors must not have bred with other Pokemon species, which was a rare occurrence. Some Pokemon couldn't pick up egg moves, for example Magikarp, because they hadn't evolved as a species to do so, but for those that did they were at a major advantage against competitors.

Stopping himself from mentally rambling anymore, Ash decided to battle the last trainer on Nugget Bridge and then call it a day. Maybe the gym leader would be back in the city tomorrow.

Walking up back onto the golden bridge, Ash made his way over to the final trainer. He was dressed in entirely black clothes; a black t-shirt, black jeans and even black trainers. His arms were heavily tattooed and his eyes showed little to no interest in his surroundings.

"Are you that challenger who fought my colleagues earlier?" The man asked, although it sounded more like a statement judging from his tone.

Ash simply nodded and the man shot him a dirty look before walking over to his side of the field.

"You made me wait two hours to battle you, everyone else has gone on crying."

Ash chose to say nothing to that, simply standing in his box and releasing Ivysaur. The man grunted and released a Graveler, who pounded its four limbs together and snarled.

"Ivysaur start it off with a leech seed, then follow up with sleep powder," Ash told the grass dinosaur calmly. The grass type snorted and fired off three leech seeds in quick succession, each smacking into the Graveler's hide and sprouting vines that started to drain its energy. The rock monster simply took it and growled as its energy was siphoned away. Ivysaur released her sleep powder but it didn't even come close to the rock type.

"Flex."

The other trainer smirked as his Graveler tensed its body and snapped through the majority of the vines with ease. Ivysaur's eyes widened as one of his most versatile moves was easily nullified.

"Now hit it with a rock blast, don't let up."

The Graveler started to summon rocks from the nearby mountainside, which appeared in piles around it on the battlefield. The rocks floated into the Graveler's open hands before being fired out at high speeds.

Ivysaur barrelled to one side to avoid the barrage of rocks coming her way. Using her vines she managed to bat most of the vines coming her way, although one managed to smack into her, making the grass type cry out in pain.

"You good to carry on girl?" Ash asked as the grass type winced. The Seed Pokemon growled in conformation before releasing her vines once more, ready to slam into Graveler.

"Vine whip! Release your sleep powder!" Ash shouted as Ivysaur barrelled forward, using the extra energy granted to her by the sunlight to move a little quicker.

Ivysaur slammed into Graveler with her vines, cracking its rock shell with sheer force. As she was doing so her bulb was releasing a thick, green powder, which made contact this time and made the rock type's eyes drop slightly.

"Bulldoze Graveler," the man shouted, his leaving no room for error. The Rock Pokemon launched its entire body up into the air before slamming it down with masses of force.

The ground shook with such force that Ash was sent toppling over from the relative safety of his trainer box. Ivysaur was sent to the floor, legs splayed out beneath her as she fell over.

"Saur…" Ivysaur grumbled as she got to her feet. Unlike most other poison types, Ivysaur didn't have any liquid poison sacs which meant she wasn't as affected by what should have been a super effective move. Instead her poisonous spores and powders were stored in her bulb which was considerably hard to rupture, not to mention the toxins were solid, it'd be much more difficult for them to get around Ivysaur's body.

"Alright, fire off some more leech seeds and then try a giga drain!"

Ivysaur fired off more leech seeds, something she had gotten consistently better at over the past few weeks in training. Out of the barrage she fired off, only three hit their mark. Yeah… accuracy wasn't exactly the grass type's strong point right now.

However, the seeds which did hit managed to bury themselves deep into the Graveler's rock shell before exploding into a flurry of vines. The rock type roared in agony as its energy was siphoned again before flexing its body and breaking free of its binds.

It was visibly beginning to tire now, the powerful muscles that moved its body seemed to be dragging it now and its arms had drooped.

Ivysaur then released her vines again, entangling the Rock Pokemon and used giga drain. The vines pulsed green as they stole away the Pokemon's energy, leaving it unconscious on the floor. It wasn't perfect however, Ash could see the glow of the vines trail off towards Ivysaur failing to replenish her energy with that she stole from her opponent. It looked like they'd need to do a bit more work on the move before it was perfect.

"Graveler, return," the man said with a grin across his face, he walked up to Ash and put a hand on his shoulder and pointed to the very end of the Nugget Bridge, where a man was waiting for him, waving.

"You're the first person to beat me in nearly a week, congrats kid," he said as he patted Ash's shoulder.

"If you head over there and collect your prizes and you'll have completed the Nugget Bridge challenge."

Ash nodded and said his thanks before walking off towards the other man. Compared to the thuggish looking man he had battled before, this man was wiry and his head was covered by a black cap which obscured part of his face.

"Congratulations on beating our Nugget Bridge challenge!" he praised with a nasally voice. He held out two items for Ash which took him by surprise.

Well the first one didn't, considering it was called the 'Nugget' bridge, getting a nugget as the prize wasn't really a shock.

However, as the man also handed him a TM case which already had some TMs loaded in it.

"You're the 5th person to complete the Nugget Bridge challenge so we thought it'd be a good way to remember that by filling up your TM case with a few TMs," the man finished with a smile across his face.

Ash check on the front of the case and read the digital display to see what TMs had been installed.

Aerial Ace

Incinerate

Icy Wind

The TMs probably wouldn't be that useful right now, he was pretty sure none of his team could learn icy wind, or even incinerate. Aerial Ace would be insanely useful though, it'd give Pidgeotto and even Beedrill another way to attack whilst in the air.

"Thanks!" Ash said with a grin. This was where the man's face darkened and he started to smirk.

"You know there's an easy way to get plenty more TMs like that…"

"Huh?" Ash replied, confused as to where this was going. The man put an arm around the young trainer and grinned impishly.

"What would you do if I said you could get every TM you could possibly ever want, and even more," the man carried on, his grin becoming bigger and bigger.

"How? That'd cost thousands?" Ash asked, his suspicions growing larger.

"Well you see I work for a little organisation-"

It made sense.

The ticket had an 'R' stamped on the corner of it, the shady dealings this man was hinting at, the promise of whatever he wanted.

There was no doubt this man worked for Team Rocket.

"U-Umm I'll think about it," Ash stammered as he took a step backwards. The man frowned as Ash stepped away.

"Alright kid, chill out, I was just wondering if you'd like to join Team Rocket. We're an up and coming organisation who want to expand, if you want to join up any point, give us a call on this number," the man finished as he gave Ash a card and walked away. Ash could still see the malicious glint in the man's eye and he toned down his speech, making the whole calming down of his demeanour easy to see through. Not to mention saying their up and coming was a complete lie, they'd been the leaders of Kanto's criminal underworld for over a decade; or that's at least what his dad had told him.

"Ok thanks bye!" Ash said as he all but ran off towards Cerulean. Maybe before he checked into the Pokemon Centre for the night he'd go to Cerulean's police department and tip them off.

With that in his mind and also his newly caught Abra that needed healing up he set back off into Cerulean, he'd explore the rest of Route 24 and Route 25 another day.

\- Timeskip -

"Good morning Ash! Your Pokemon are fully healed and we hope to see you again!"

Nurse Joy turned around and went back into the medical bay of the Pokemon Centre and got back to work as she finished saying goodbye to the young trainer.

Ash stared at his seventh Pokeball with concern etched across his face. The Pokemon League had a rule that frustrated many trainers to no end; you could only carry six Pokemon at a time.

As soon as you caught a seventh Pokemon it'd be transported to your sponsor, who in Ash's case was Professor Oak. To avoid this he would need permission from the league to bring more than the six Pokemon they limited trainers too, and that wasn't going to happen any time soon even if his dad was the champion.

Ash studied each of his seven Pokeballs in turn, trying to think logically about his turmoil, who would he leave behind?

It was tough. Who would really want to send away their friends who'd they'd bonded with over time just to accommodate another. It seemed almost cruel. And then you couldn't simply leave them there alone. Without anyone else to talk to they'd grow lonely and antisocial in isolation.

Larvitar had to stay, that was what first came to Ash's mind. The rock type had been with him for years now and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. He was a glue in his team that kept them all together, being able to get on well with all of his team members so far.

Ivysaur was needed as well, with Cerulean city's gym being known to favour water types he'd need every advantage he could get.

Not that he had many, which was painfully obvious to the new trainer right now, his team was extremely pitiful against water types. He had Ivysaur and that was it. He'd have to remedy that in the future.

After a while Ash decided to send back Nidoran and Pidgeotto. Both were close combat fighters primarily and this meant they'd have a tough time against Cerulean who primarily used water types. Kanto's water types, with the exception of a couple, were all long ranged fighters so getting into striking distance would be a challenge for them. He was sure Magikarp could get some valuable experience whilst here in Cerulean which he wouldn't get elsewhere. On the road the Fish Pokemon had a tough time finding suitable battles as the routes taken weren't very coastal and had very few usable bodies of water.

He was pretty sure that the Fish Pokemon was actually fairly close to his age. With its slightly tattered but thick scales and long whiskers it must've have been nearly a decade old by now. And by those standards she must be getting ready to evolve soon. However, Ash didn't expect that for a while so for now he simply wanted to get as much experience with the water type and bond with it as much as possible, Gyarados could remember everything from their lives as Magikarp and could be particularly difficult to bond with after they evolved.

Ash was pretty sure Magikarp liked him now so he wasn't to worried, there had been stories in the past of Gyarados attacking their trainers if they had been abused but that was very unlikely in his scenario.

To be honest, in the short time he'd been with his team they'd all grown exponentially, he couldn't ask for anymore. So for now he'd get drop off Nidoran and pick him up as he went back on the road, where'd there would be less water for Magikarp to fight in.

With that he also decided to send off Pidgeotto. She was considerably more docile than his other option, Beedrill, and would socialise much better with the Poison Pin Pokemon.

Going into one of the booths in the Pokecenter, Ash called up Professor Oak and waited for him to pick up. After a few moments the screen flashed white before revealing the familiar face of the regional professor.

"Ahhh Ash my boy! How're you doing travelling around Kanto?"" He asked eagerly, his aged face lighting up with excitement which Ash couldn't help but grin at. He heard barking to his left, indicating the Professor's Arcanine had heard them.

"It's going great! I've caught seven Pokemon and I'm about to fight the gym leader for my second badge," he replied, rubbing his eyes a little to stave off his morning tiredness.

"Ahh I see," the professor said with a frown. The man himself had known these problems when he was creating his own team before he became the regional professor and had his roster cap removed.

"So I was wondering if I could give you Nidoran and Pidgeotto for a while, it'd be a couple of days at most," Ash added quickly.

Professor Oak sighed as he switched on his transporter machine. The huge machine whirred to life as its control panel flickered on. The professor tapped some of its settings before typing into his computer a large string of code.

"Alright, I've added the transfer machine to your Pokedex database, just select it and plug your Pokedex into the Pokemon Centre's transporter, put your Pokeballs in the machine and press go," the professor summarised. The professor started to say something else but was barrelled over by a flash of orange fur.

*RUFF*

"Ahh Arcanine! You know your slobber doesn't wash out very well!"

Ash started to laugh as he watched the regional professor get kicked by his Arcanine. The Legendary Pokemon was huge for its species, easily towering over the man. It had pinned down the Professor with its front paws and was licking the man's face intensely, playfully 'ruffing' as it continued.

Eventually Professor Oak managed to push the huge canine off of him and got to his feet, panting from moving the heavy Pokemon. Arcanine tipped happily before barging in front of the camera and yipping excitedly to Ash.

"It's good to see you too Arcanine!" Ash cheered, mentally thanking Arceus he wasn't on the other side of the camera. The fire type was known to be incredibly playful for its age and Arcanine's saliva was incredibly hard to get out of clothes, Ash had learnt the hard way when he was helping at the corral back in Pallet Town.

Arcanine yipped once more before speeding off again, probably back to the corral. Whilst it acted playful, Ash knew the old canine could pack a punch, having watched some of Professor Oak's old battle videos. It's speed was legendary, being able to tap into the extremespeed, an ability only gifted to a very limited number of species.

Extremespeed was an insanely powerful ability for any species that inherited it. They essentially removed the limiters placed on their bodies in order to force their muscles to contract and relax faster, thus giving them the capacity to run at god-like speeds. However, it put a great strain on the user's body and it could pull or even tear muscles if overused. Pokemon needed a lot of training in order to use it without hurting themselves, and some could eventually stay in extremespeed without injuring themselves indefinitely.

There was much more complex biology behind it but Ash couldn't remember it, not to mention it was always the parts of the Professor's speeches he tuned out of.

That man could talk for days on end. Literally.

"So how often do you reckon you'll be switching out your team members?" The professor asked as he wiped at the Arcanine slobber.

"As much as possible, I never really wanted a small team, and I don't want there to be massive gaps between my team," Ash replied thoughtfully. Professor Oak sat there in silence contemplating for a minute.

"Alright Ash, I'm going to give you special access to your Pokemon storage."

Ash's eyes lit up in surprise.

"Special access? What do you mean professor?"

However, the professor was too busy typing on a keyboard nearby to reply. Ash noticed that once again his nearby monitor was filled with strings of code that were indecipherable to him.

"Alright there we go! You're all set up!" The professor explained cheerily. Ash sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ummm, Professor... You didn't really explain what you set me up with," Ash said with a awkward chuckle.

Professor Oak spluttered in embarrassment before clicking away at his keyboard once again.

"Ahh and there we go! Check your Pokedex," the researcher urges Ash, who pulled the device out of his pocket. Opening up its main menu he saw a new option next to the database.

Storage

Looking at it in surprise, Ash selected the option and was taken to an entire new screen.

"Whoa," Ash breathed as he looked at the detailed storage screen. To the right hand side of the screen it showed the current Pokemon he had on him. On the left hand side of the screen were boxes of Pokemon storage, with Abra filling the first slot of the first box.

"It's something new I've been working on, it's still in the prototype stage I guess," the professor began and he started to put together more strings of code.

The backgrounds of the boxes started to flash to different designs, indicating Professor Oak experimenting with it.

"Basically each of your Pokeballs stored here will be put into a specialised transporter which can be accessed remotely by you. Your Pokemon will still be allowed to roam the Corral here as they usually would, instead the transporter will forcefully activate the return feature, returning them to their Pokeball and getting them ready for transportation!" Professor Oak managed to get out in one breath, panting slightly. Ash knew from when he'd worked in the lab for a few years the man was passionate for what he did.

Thirty years earlier he'd created the Pokedex, a now worldwide used tool which allowed trainers to learn more about both the Pokemon they were training as well as out in the wild. Where to find Pokemon, how to raise them, how to teach them moves. It was all there, hand pieced together by the professor himself and by far his greatest discovery. He revolutionised the way people raised Pokemon.

And now he was doing it again.

"So as I was saying before you dozed off," Professor Oak continued as he raised a grey eyebrow at Ash, who went bright red in embarrassment.

"Basically each slot in one of those boxes corresponds to an actual slot on the transporter. So right now you've got access to one box, which holds thirty Pokemon. If you need any more then just call me and I'll sort it out. Anyway for this to work you need to transport your captured Pokemon to the lab first. This should work at any Pokecenter as well just so you know, just plug your Pokedex into the transporter there and it'll do the rest." The professor was really trying to cram as much information into this call as possible, giving Ash all the details he'd need in order to work this prototype system.

"And that should do it, you got all of that Ash?" Professor Oak asked as something clattered around behind him.

*RUFF* *RUFF*

"Arcanine! Stop chasing Pikachu!" Professor Oak shouted as he rushed off the screen. More crashing and clattering could be heard as the giant canine chased after a small rodent around the laboratory, who was squeaking loudly as it avoided the playful fire type.

"Ash, hang up please I'll talk to you another time I need to stop this-" Professor Oak shouted before he was accidentally tackled by Arcanine, bowling him over. Not wanting to see how Professor Oak trying to stop the overly playful Arcanine destroying his lab would turn out.

"Alright then…" Ash said to himself as he took out his Pokedex and started to play around with the storage option.

He quickly selected his Nidoran and his Pidgeotto, placing them into the box for storage, before pulling Abra out into his party. Walking over to the Pokeball transporter machine he plugged in his Pokedex and placing the two Pokeballs on the transporter machine.

Almost instantly the machine whirred to life, teleporting the two Pokeballs safely to Professor Oak's laboratory, where they'd be free to roam the corral until they got called up again. The two were some of the more sociable members of his team. Nidoran got along well with the majority of his team, and being the 'baby' of the group meant that had all looked out for him whenever possible. But because he was young didn't mean he was tough, the young poison type could pack a serious punch in battles with his deadly toxins, sharp horn and powerful hind legs. Ash could tell that when he got older and evolved the poison type would be a powerful Pokemon.

Pidgeotto, on the other hand, had a type of grace not seen in any of his other Pokemon. Most of the clomped along on the ground with very little finesse unlike the flying type. She could hit fast and hit hard with her momentum she built up.

The bird Pokemon was extremely talkative to his other teammates and seemed to get along with them all well enough. However, had picked out one little flaw in the normal type's demeanour that seemed to grate on his other teammates occasionally.

Pidgeotto was a very vain Pokemon, and considering he'd met Professor Oak's Dragonite that was a very bold statement to make. Ash had caught her preening herself occasionally whenever she thought none of the others were looking, and also admiring her reflection in any bodies of water they passed. So far the bird Pokemon was keeping it fairly under control, it hadn't gotten out of hand yet and fingers crossed it wouldn't get worse when she evolved into a Pidgeot.

Ash tore himself from his thoughts to watch Abra's Pokeball in his hand unlock, ready for normal use now he had transferred his other Pokemon. However, that would have to wait. Ash had overheard some other trainers talking in the Pokecenter earlier saying that Cerulean City's gym leader had returned and was taking battles today. The sooner he faced the gym leader the sooner he could move onto the next town, although he wanted to finish exploring what was north of Nugget Bridge before he left for Vermillion City.

Making sure he had all of his Pokeballs and other equipment on him, Ash set off towards the gym, ready for whatever the gym leader decided to throw at him.

The cascade badge was as good as his.

\- Meanwhile in Pallet Town -

Professor Oak sighed as he placed his coffee mug gently on the table, careful to avoid spilling any of it on the laptop sitting in front of him. The storage system he'd given Ash access too was his latest piece of work that he'd be releasing to trainers everywhere; to have two trainers in his grandson and Ash testing it for him would be a godsend as they could tell him how to improve it.

It had taken him the best part of three years to develop the system amidst his other research, and helping Red and Blue track down his biggest mistake…

Team Rocket had been very persuasive all those years ago when they'd requested his help with their project all that time ago. Building their own legendary Pokemon. Even now it seemed surreal to the professor. It had taken them nearly of a decade of work, him and his other two associates, with all of their scientific prowess combined. And now it was coming back to haunt him. However, with Red coming back to Kanto that meant that their search was over. Whatever corner of the earth his creation had hidden in; it was far from his grasp now. Maybe they'd locate it in Kanto.

The professor wasn't ashamed of their creation though. Creating life was beautiful and it was his finest work.

His finest... but also his most shameful work.

\- Cerulean Gym -

Ash stood outside the gym, which was only a few minutes away from the Pokemon Centre, and looked at the building. It looked more like a theatre from the outside than a gym in all honesty, as it was decorated with gold styled in the shape of water Pokemon.

As he walked into the gym he noticed that it was fairly desolate compared to what he heard earlier, with only one other trainer sitting on a waiting bench in the reception. Following a few signs, after getting a rather unhelpful groan from the receptionist who was sleeping on the job, he came to a massive room dominated by a large swimming, easily as big as Professor Oak's laboratory back in Pallet Town. A couple of floating islands were dotted around the pool, giving non-water type Pokemon to have a chance on the battlefield.

Three teenage girls were leisurely swimming in the pool, their Pokemon darting around them playfully. Even from the other side of the pool, Ash could tell they were beautiful as he fought to hide a growing blush. As they saw him enter they swam to the edge of the pool and started to climb out, revealing their slender bodies covered only by their bikinis.

"Are you here for a gym battle?" One of the sisters, the one with honey blonde hair, asked him. Her voice showed signs of surprise, Ash presumed they didn't get very many challenges this early on in the conference season, which made sense. Cerulean was seen as an easy badge to a lot of trainers, who left it for the middle or end of the season after training their team.

"Y-Yeah," Ash stuttered, still blushing. The girls giggled slightly at his redness and held out her hand.

"W-Wait you're just giving me the badge?!" Ash shouted in surprise. The girl nodded as she kept her hand held out, in the palm of her hand was a light blue, raindrop-shaped badge.

"Yeah, you don't have to defeat a gym leader to get the badge, they just have to think you deserve it, plus all of our Pokemon are tired from the show yesterday," the blonde girl replied as she continued to hold out her hand.

Ash shrugged his shoulders and went to grab the badge, why not after all. A badge was a badge no matter how you obtained it. He reached out to take the badge.

*SLAP*

"Now wait just a second!"

A girl, probably only a year or two older than Ash, stood between him and the blonde girl that gave him his badge; glaring at the older girl.

"I'm challenging you to a Pokemon battle! As a gym leader here I don't think you're ready for the cascade badge," she all but shouted at him, her face bright red in anger. Ash took a step backwards as she stood too close to him, making his ears ring as she shouted.

"Jeez… You don't need to shout so much," Ash groaned as he rubbed his head to stave off an oncoming headache. The girl huffed and took a step back, her red face not calming down in the slightest.

"Misty…" the blonde haired teenager began as she shook her head in embarrassment.

"Shut up… Go get in the challenger's box," the girl shouted again, making Ash wince at the volume. Misty glared even harder at her sister before stomping over to her side of the field.

"Alright, alright... Arceus almighty…" Ash mumbled as he walked over to his side of the swimming pool and readied Ivysaur's Pokeball in his hand. Luckily for him the roof over the pool was glass, and with the sun shining through it Ivysaur would be able to make use of its energy and utilise her growing chloroplasts in her skin. The extra energy would be sure to help.

"Alright, this will be two on two battle. No substitutions will be allowed and the use of stat enhancing items is forbidden," one of the three teenagers, the girl with dark blue hair, announced as she acted as the referee. Ash looked at her strangely at the last rule and she shrugged her shoulders.

"We've had trainers who thought they could use them in our gym before and get away with it, it makes sense because you can't use them in the conference anyway," Violet explained to him. Ash nodded and went back to facing Misty, who had already released her first Pokemon.

It was a strange Pokemon to say the least, its entire body was a dark shade of violet which stood out in contrast to the pure white platforms it was standing on. It looked as if it was made of two sea-stars stuck together, with the back star rotating very slowly as it balanced on the front star's bottom limbs. Electricity sparked from the glowing jewel core on the centre of its front star, which flashed a multitude of colours before settling on a very dark red.

Ash knew Starmie had the potential to be a dangerous opponent so he'd have to start with his Ivysaur straight away, utilising her type advantage to the best of their abilities.

"Alright Ivysaur, get ready for battle!" Ash shouted as he released the Seed Pokemon. Ivysaur looked around the watery battlefield for a moment before turning around a warbling to Ash for reassurance.

"It's alright Ivysaur, we're in a battle. Make sure to stay out of the water," Ash told her as the grass dinosaur walked over to him, petting her bulb to calm her.

"Are you done?" Misty asked from the other side of the field, failing awfully at masking her annoyance.

Ash sent her a glare as Ivysaur walked back onto the floating platforms and released her powerful vines, poised to strike whatever was thrown at her.

"Anddddddd… Begin!" the blue haired sister shouted as the two Pokemon sprung into action.

"Alright Ivysaur use sleep powder! Try and make it fall asleep!" Ash shouted, desperate to end the battle before it really begun.

Starmie were known for being able to regenerate lost limbs with their amazing speeds of regeneration, so any damage done to the water type had to be either so crippling it stopped it from fighting or somehow prevented it from fighting otherwise.

The water type didn't simply let the move hit it, instead diving under the water, hiding completely from view in the dark depths of the pool. The sleep powder formed a harmless layer on the top of the water, where it wouldn't harm the starfish.

"Alright surface and use confusion!" Misty shouted with a smirk across her face.

" _Well shit,_ " Ash mentally groaned as he watched the Starmie fly up and out of the water before firing a wave of telekinetic energy at Ivysaur.

Starmie were also part psychic type, with their jewel core at the centre of their bodies being able to generate masses of psychic power from within itself. However, unlike psychic species, such as the Abra or Hypno lines, Starmie lacked the finesse with their psychic powers that the other two species had. They could fire off waves of telekinetic energy, but that was about it. Without extensive training the Mysterious Pokemon would not improve much more than that.

However, the jewel core on their bodies allowed them also to utilise other powers other than psychic ones, being able to discharge bolts of lightning and beams of ice from the gem. They had versatility that not many other species could claim to have.

Luckily for Ivysaur, the wave of energy was slightly off target, allowing for her to dodge the attack. Ash subconsciously sucked in a breath as he watched the grass type roll dangerously close to the edge of the platform she was standing on. Using her vines to steady herself, Ivysaur ran back to the centre of the platform and lashed at Starmie, who simply took the hit, its jewel flickering slightly as the only sign it felt the damage.

"Alright, fire off some leech seeds, we've got to wear it down!" Ash shouted as Ivysaur began to fire barrages of the seeds towards Starmie. The water type's back-star span rapidly as it managed to zigzag through the volley of seeds. Misty smirked as she simply let her Pokemon dodge the shower of seeds.

"Thunder wave, paralyze it Starmie," Misty shouted, her tone much more relaxed as a smug grin overtook her face. She thought had this battle in the bag.

Ash inwardly winced as he saw the weak sparks of lightning fly towards Ivysaur. Hopefully that move he and Ivysaur had been working on whilst they were at Nugget Bridge pulled through.

"Poison powder Ivysaur, make a dense cloud in front of you!" Ash shouted, praying his idea would work. Poison powder wasn't a particularly difficult move for the grass type to learn, with the species' naturally solid powders and the ability to expel both seeds and powders through the bulb on her back.

Ivysaur got to work almost instantly, and the area in front the Seed Pokemon was engulfed in poisonous powder and they were forcefully expelled from her bulb. Ivysaur took a step back towards the edge of her platform as the thunder wave hit the powders, igniting them. The fire raged for a moment before dying down, as the powder was quickly used up as fuel.

"Way to go Ivysaur!" Ash shouted as the Seed Pokemon warbled happily. However, their successful use of poison powder to defend from the electric attack was short lived as Starmie came spinning towards the grass type and struck it with a powerful rapid spin.

"Retaliate, grab it with your vines and giga drain!" Ash shouted as he saw an opportunity. As she was at the moment, Ivysaur wasn't particularly adept at long range combat, instead preferring to use her vines in combat. Hopefully with a couple more moves in time he could solve that and make her an even more versatile fighter.

"Starmie dodge it!" Misty shouted with panic in her voice. The starfish tried to dodge but its momentum from the earlier rapid spin made it hard to turn so the water type was easily ensnared in Ivysaur's vines. The vines immediately began to glow an emerald green as they sapped the water type's energy. Starmie tried to struggle away from the vines but with its energy rapidly being drained away it was fighting a losing battle.

"Rapid spin!" Misty shouted in desperation as Starmie's jewel core began to flicker slower and slower, showing it nearing unconsciousness. The Mysterious Pokemon tiredly began to spin the star on its back, severing the vines holding it down and making Ivysaur cry out in a mixture of shock and pain.

"Ivysaur!" Ash cried out as the severed vines fell to the ground, twitching slightly before falling limp. The Bulbasaur line's vines were known to be able to regenerate after a matter of days, given the correct nutrients, and even quicker if helped with modern medicine. However, their vines were extremely sensitive so to have them severed would have been extremely painful.

Ash could see that with the energy Ivysaur had stolen from Starmie earlier, the cut vines were slowly regenerating even now, using the excess energy coursing through her body. The photosynthesis from her still developing chloroplasts would also help restore her energy and could give her the boost she needed right now to finish this battle.

"Way to go Starmie! Now use recover!" Misty shouted, her smirk returning as Starmie began to restore its lost energy.

Recover was a strange move, it allowed certain species of Pokemon to restore their energy lost during battle by regenerating cells and increasing the amount of energy produced by their cells for a short amount of time. Scientists hadn't yet figured out how it worked, most thought it was by starting certain chemical reactions in Pokemon's cells, but they couldn't be sure.

Starmie's core began to flicker less as its energy was replenished, its back star started to spin rapidly at the energy boost.

"Don't let it fully recover! Use leech seed; full power!" Ash shouted, if Starmie was allowed to regenerate it'd be over for the Seed Pokemon.

Ivysaur cried out as she released a barrage of seeds towards Starmie, each of the seeds pelting into the water type and disturbing its recovery. Most of them exploded into a tangle of vines, which ensnared Starmie and stopped it from moving once again, draining even more energy and replenishing Ivysaur's own. However, some didn't release vines and instead pelted the Starmie with amazing force, making it drop down unconscious from the combination.

"What was that…" Ash mumbled as he looked at some of the hardened seeds left over on the platform near Misty's side of the arena. They seemed much bigger than the usual leech seeds and had darker shells than normal.

"And Starmie is unable to battle! Could the gym leader please release their second Pokemon," the blue-haired teenager requested as she looked at Misty expectantly. The orange haired girl growled as she grabbed a Pokeball off of her belt and threw it into the water.

*GYAHHHHH*

The water exploded upwards as whatever was contained in the Pokeball was released, sending water everywhere. Ash began to freeze as he looked up into the gaping maw of an 18 foot long Gyarados; an apex predator of the sea.

Its teeth, which were the same size as steak knives, gleamed in the light shining down through the glass ceiling, whilst its eyes radiated fury and anger only present in very few species of Pokemon worldwide.

Gyarados were known to have large quantities of hormones pumping through their bodies after evolution, which Ash suspected the water type had recently gone through, which increased their aggression to rarely seen levels. This effect was lessened after a couple of months' post evolution but until then it would be a very temperamental Pokemon. And with their powerful jaws and plated armour that could grow up to eight inches thick they were a force to be reckoned with. Its fins were razor sharp and looked as if they could slice easily through flesh.

Ash looked at the creature in awe, this is what his own Magikarp could evolve into, given enough time. Misty's Gyarados was small for its species; they could grow over 40 feet long, but it had a lot of time to grow and reach its full physical maturity.

"And this is my strongest Pokemon. He only evolved a few weeks ago," Misty said as she stashed the Atrocious Pokemon's Pokeball away on her belt.

Ivysaur groaned in sadness at the lack of feeling she was experiencing from her vines. They were already growing back with the excess energy she stole from Starmie; it'd still be a couple of hours until she was fully recovered. Ash prayed that it wouldn't be a problem in the future, as severing her vines could easily cripple the Seed Pokemon in a fight. Ash had heard of Venusaur being able to regrow their vines in mere seconds once they reached full physical maturity, but Ivysaur was a long way from evolution, let alone reaching her maximum size.

But for now, whilst she wouldn't be able to battle at her full capabilities, she could still deal some damage to the huge beast before she went down.

"Let the battle commence!" the referee shouted as she took a step back to avoid getting splashed as Gyarados splashed around in the water.

"Ivysaur use leech seed!" Ash shouted as he took a step back to avoid a wave of water which lapped at the edge of his platform and splashed up, drenching the first half of it.

Ivysaur growled as she released more seeds, this time the seeds looked more normal and lighter in colour. They collided with Gyarados' thick armour and burst into vines, forcing themselves into the chinks of its armour and draining its energy.

*GYAHHHHH*

Gyarados roared in anger as it felt its energy get sapped before it even started, lunging forward with its jaws glowing with dark energy. Gyarados tried to bite Ivysaur, only for the Seed Pokemon to dodge.

"Gyarados use flamethrower!" Misty shouted as the sea serpent roared again, straightening up as flames started to manifest in the back of its throat. Misty must have taught it flamethrower by using a TM, it was the only way the Atrocious Pokemon could learn the move.

"Ivysaur!" Ash shouted as the Seed Pokemon was engulfed in a bright the fiery inferno. The extreme heat of the flames could be felt from his challenger box.

"Alright Gyarados hold it!" Misty shouted as she looked at the platform bathed in flames with increasing worry. The monstrous water type growled as it obeyed her command, its loyalty triumphing over its primal instincts to roast its opponent into oblivion.

The flames eventually died down to reveal Ivysaur. She was still standing, albeit on shaky legs, as her body was charred from the intense heat. Ash blinked back tears as he returned the Seed Pokemon to her Pokeball.

"Thank you Ivysaur…" Ash whispered to the ball as he stashed it away. He would be sure to give the grass type a large portion of Occa and Rawst berries tonight after they went to the Pokemon Centre. Occa berries were her favourite and Rawst berries would help lessen the pain of its burns.

"That was a bit overkill Misty…" the referee muttered as she signalled for Ash to release his second Pokemon. The trainer however stood there, tilting his head forward so that his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hat.

He didn't have many other choices right now. Nidoran and Pidgeotto were back at Professor Oak's laboratory, most likely exploring the corral right now, and Beedrill would be at a serious disadvantage if his wings got wet. He recently caught Abra and still had to get her settled and Magikarp was a definite no against its much more powerful evolution.

So that left…

"Larvitar, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he released the rock type onto the platform. The rock type blinked slightly before looking around at his surroundings.

And he froze.

Memories of trying to stay above the water as it fought against the raging current flashed across the Rock Skin Pokemon's mind, water filling its body and weighing it down and pulling it beneath the surface…

"Tarrrr…." Larvitar moaned as he began to quiver uncontrollably. He turned around and looked Ash in the eye as he shivered in fear.

Ash cursed as he forgot Larvitar's greatest fear. Water.

Ever since that fateful day they met in the woods on the outskirts of Pallet Town, Larvitar had been deathly afraid of water. He'd refused to go into it from the first day Ash had taken him home and had even refrained from drinking the substance for the first couple of days before his father had gotten worried and forced the little rock type to drink. Since then that was the only interaction Larvitar had with the liquid, he couldn't handle anything bigger than a bowl full of water at best.

"You've got this buddy, stick to the centre of the platform and you'll be fine," Ash encouraged the rock type, receiving a glare for his efforts. Larvitar cringed as he took a tentative step and the platform began to wobble beneath him.

"Begin!" the blue haired girl shouted again as she cringed at the rock type's uncertainty on the platform.

Ash gritted his teeth as Larvitar dodged to one side of the platform in order to avoid a flamethrower that was sent towards it without any commands from Misty. The rock type looked to its side and noticed how close it was to the edge and scrambled away with fear in his eyes.

"Larvitar, come on buddy use rock slide!" Ash shouted as he prayed Larvitar would follow his commands and that hopefully, fear hadn't gripped the rock type so strongly.

The rock type began to materialise rocks over the top of both Gyarados and his own head. The sea serpent roared as it was pelted with boulders from both over its head and in front of it, courtesy of Larvitar kicking the boulders that should have landed on it into the beast.

Gyarados was a strange species of water Pokemon in that they were also classed as flying types. This was due to them being able to levitate on land slightly and due to a weakness that Ash was hoping to exploit.

Gyarados were weak to rock type moves.

Their armour, whilst built to withstand brute force, was very susceptible to the sharp, penetrating attacks of rock types. Rock type moves mainly focus on piercing an opponent's armour with sharp stones or crushing them with sheer force, and whilst it wouldn't be as ideal as having an electric type Pokemon, it'd hopefully be enough to knock Gyarados out.

Ash just had to get Larvitar to ignore its fear of water, seeing as the rock type was still shaking. He was able to battle; barely.

"Gyarados roast it!" Misty shouted as she saw the sea serpent reel back in pain. The Atrocious Pokemon's head reeled backwards before tongues of fire bathed Larvitar's platform.

Ash didn't seem to phased by the attack. Gyarados' main strength lied in their physical attacks, not what they could do at range. It also proved something to Ash that made him smirk in relief. As long as he kept Larvitar out of the water he had this in the bag.

"So," Ash shouted across the battlefield to Misty, who stared at him in confusion.

"How many water type moves does Gyarados know?" Ash asked, watching as Misty's face went pale as she refused to answer. Ash already knew the answer so it didn't matter if she answered or not.

Gyarados knew none.

The sea serpent had only recently evolved, like Misty said and Ash presumed she hadn't spent the time since then improving its relatively small arsenal of attacks it knew from being a Magikarp. Gyarados instinctively knew how to bite when they evolved, it was part of their basic behaviour, but that was it. Anything else they knew had to be picked up by either from other Pokemon in the wild or through their trainers.

So with Larvitar's biggest weakness out the way he could freely attack without the fear of being blasted by a hydro pump.

"Alright, Larvitar, use rock slide again!" Ash shouted as a full blown grin crept across his face. He'd got this.

Rocks manifested around Larvitar and above Gyarados, as they were all thrown full pelt at the sea serpent, making it roar in pain.

As the attack finished the sea serpent was engulfed in a green light and it writhed in pain, roaring as it tried to stop the pain. Ash noticed the vines from Ivysaur's leech seed glowing green, indicating this was a side effect of the leech seed. Soon after a ball of green energy was released from Gyarados' body and flew into Larvitar, who grunted as he felt the excess power course brought his body.

"Amazing…" Ash muttered as he saw the other effect of leech seed. Ivysaur had never left a leech seed on an opponent before and been knocked out so it was a shock to see the seeds still working.

"Gyarados! Torch yourself and then dive under the water and move the platform!" Misty shouted as Gyarados continued to thrash about in pain. The platform Larvitar was standing on moved about dangerously in the water, threatening to tip over. The sea serpent must have heard Misty's command as its entire body was alight with flames mere moments later, burning away the leech seeds burrowed into its armour. The behemoth then sunk under the water, dowsing the flames and helping cool the burns it had sustained by tacking itself.

"Larvitar! Use rock slide on the water, try and hit it whilst it's moving," Ash told the rock type, who grunted in confirmation and began to fire rocks at Gyarados, who managed to dodge the majority of them. Some of them managed to hit its hard body, the momentum jarring its body and making it flinch under the water. Gyarados swam closer and closer to Larvitar's platform, making the rock type grow nervous.

"Now up Gyarados!" Misty shouted as she raised her arms in the air like she was performing. The great beast rose out of the water but it's spatial awareness was pretty poor, knocking its head against Larvitar's platform as it rose.

Ash's blood went cold when Larvitar cried out as he was knocked backwards off of his platform into the water below.

"Larvitar!" Ash shouted as he tried to recall his Pokemon, only for the beam to disperse a couple of feet under the water, the water disrupting its recalling abilities.

Ash prepared himself to jump into the water, removing his shirt and shoes before Misty held up a hand.

"Wait a second, I see something," she murmured as the water began to glow an ominous red.

Ash took her advice and waited at the edge of the pool in anticipation. As he bent down, what was happening underneath the water was much clearer.

Larvitar was glowing as ominous red as he channelled the power of outrage, the rock type's face contorted into a mask of fury as it pulled itself up Gyarados' body with its stubby limbs.

The sea serpent started to thrash as Larvitar began to dig its hands into its still thickening armour, tearing off scales as its arms got into the small chunks between plates for a better grip.

"Larvitar…" Ash whispered as he watched the Pokemon climb up Gyarados' body with increasing speed.

"Larv…" Larvitar growled as his head popped out of the water, greedily sucking in air. The aura of outrage flared up even more as he exited the water onto a nearby platform.

"What is this power," Misty shouted in shock as she looked at the small rock type who was hunched over. Ash knew better than to respond right now, Larvitar was channeling more draconian energy than he'd ever seen before. And the finesse he held over his abilities was terrifying for a Pokemon with usually such little control over the move. His power was at an all-time high.

"Alright, let's finish this up with an iron head Larvitar! Let's win this!" Ash shouted with renewed vigour, although he winced as water began to pour out of the holes on his starter's body. Gyarados growled as Larvitar snarled at him.

"Gyarados tackle it!" Misty shouted in worry as she realised how close this battle was going to be.

Larvitar's skull once again glowed a metallic colour as he charged towards Gyarados. The sea serpent was cloaked in white energy as it met Larvitar with its tackle attack.

The two collided and Ash heard the cracking of Gyarados' scales as it met the overcharged Larvitar's iron head. The great beast roared before its body sunk under the waves, unconscious.

Larvitar stood there for a moment on the platform, water still draining from his body, before collapsing backwards and landing on his backside; too tired to move.

Misty said nothing as she recalled her Pokemon, staring at the Pokeball in her hand for a moment before walking over. Ash, who couldn't believe he'd won against the gym, also recalled his Pokemon and walked around to the side of the pool and stood next to the referee as he waited for Misty to walk over.

The orange-haired girl stood silent for a minute, clenching the Pokeball tightly and scrunching up her face as if she was about to cry.

After a few moments of composing herself, the gym leader walked forward, holding out the cascade badge he had seen earlier.

"Here… you deserve it," Misty said as she gave the trainer a half smile. Ash said nothing as he accepted the badge and pocketed it quietly. He'd store it in his badge case later.

At this point the violet-haired gym leader stepped forwards and held out both a disc and also a wad of cash.

"I think you'll find that to be suitable winnings for your second gym battle. And that is the TM for scald, it can burn the opponent so it can be extremely useful in battle," the girl told him as she gave him a warm smile.

Ash gratefully accepted the TM and the prize money, although he was in a hurry. He wanted to get both Larvitar and Ivysaur to the Pokemon Centre as soon as possible after such a gruelling battle.

"Thank you," Ash told her sincerely as the violet-haired girl giggled at him.

"Alright now, run along to the Pokemon Centre, we can't have you walking around with injured Pokemon can we," the girl said with a slight sarcastic tone to her voice. Ash had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes at her.

Picking himself up he said goodbye to the violet haired girl and started to leave the gym.

"Ash."

Ash looked over his shoulder and saw Misty looking up at him, determination in her eyes.

"Next time I see you, I want another battle. And next time I won't lose," she told him.

Ash smiled and gave her a grin, eager I see how she would grow as trainer over time.

"You bet Misty."

Ash set off out of the gym with his winnings in hand eager to get to the Pokemon Centre. With any luck his Pokemon would be out by the end of the night and he'd be able to sleep knowing they were recovering.

He'd most likely stay in Cerulean for a few more days, exploring Route 25 to the north, before heading south past Saffron City to Vermillion.

There wasn't much between Cerulean and Vermillion, but he'd be sure to battle everyone he could along the way. His team needed the strengthening right now so getting any experience would help them by the bucket load.

Also Ash wanted to start teaching his team some of their egg moves, they'd come in handy when Ash needed to face off against stronger opponents.

But for now it was off to the Pokemon Centre, and then onwards to Route 25!

\- End of Chapter -


	6. Chapter Six

Rise of a Champion Chapter Six:

"Stop right there!"

The man continued to grunt as he exerted himself trying to run away from the police officer. She'd been tipped off about their operation on Nugget Bridge, most likely by that brat that had refused his offer in their organisation.

"Little shit," he murmured as he continued to run, if he could make it to Cerulean he would hopefully be able to lose her in the crowds.

"Growlithe! Pin him!" The police officer shouted. The Rocket member grunted as he felt something collide with his back and knock him over, pinning him to the ground.

He tried to get up, only to come face to face with the snarling maw of a Growlithe. The fire type snapped at his hands with its sharp teeth as it noticed him slowly reaching for Pokeballs and cursed inwardly.

"You're under arrest for assisting the terrorist group Team Rocket," the police officer stated as she walked over and handcuffed him. The man tried to pull away and make a break for it, but Growlithe snarled as he tried to pull away.

"Dammit," he cursed as he was led away to Cerulean by the officer and her Pokemon. Looks like he wasn't going to get away this time.

\- Meanwhile -

Ash turned away from the scene as he watched Officer Jenny arrest the man who had tried to recruit him to Team Rocket. In all honesty, he'd expected the police to arrest him earlier than he had, almost two days after Ash had reported him, but with everything else going on in the city right now he wasn't surprised.

An explosion had gone off last night, destroying a house in the centre of the city. Luckily, no one was injured but it had caused masses of panic throughout the citizens that took hours to calm down to a reasonable level.

"Alright Larvitar, let's go explore," Ash muttered quietly to the rock type in his arms. Both Ivysaur and Larvitar had made quick recoveries at the Pokemon Centre that night, having both been injected with much stronger hyper potions, which accelerated healing way beyond the speed that came with a regular potion. They'd been discharged a couple of hours after with the advice to take it slow for the next day or two whilst the potion ran its course.

So, Ash had decided to take it slow and explore Route 25. It was a quiet route, leading to nowhere in particular with a small coastline at the end of it. A few trainers could be found, which Ash battled along the way with his team.

Speaking of his team, Ash had made some major changes to it. The first had been the night after his gym battle, when he'd left Magikarp at the day-care on the edge of Cerulean.

\- Flashback -

Not a lot of people hung around the outskirts of Cerulean. Compared to the bright city centre, where you could find most of the main attractions, it was quiet with very few people walking the streets.

Ash casually strolled through the streets, studying his surroundings. Abra was sitting on his shoulder, her first experience outside of her Pokeball. The psychic type hadn't made any effort to communicate with Ash yet, but was instead content to sit on his shoulder and snore the day away.

In fact, that seemed like that was all she did. Ash hadn't seen her awake since he had caught her, which was so unlike any of his other Pokemon. He knew from their Pokedex entry that Abra had to sleep for copious amounts of time but had never realised the extent of their sleep.

"You really do sleep a lot don't you," Ash mused to himself as Abra stayed perched on his shoulder, unmoving. However, he did feel a slight buzz in the back of his mind which felt like amusement. Ash shivered at the contact and Abra withdrew from his mind when she felt he was uncomfortable. The last feeling Ash could sense from her was disappointment.

With a sigh, Ash continued to explore around Cerulean with Abra on his shoulder. The Abra species, like many other psychic types, could form psychic bonds with their trainers which allowed them to converse through their minds.

These mental links could give trainers an upper hand in battle, as commands could be given with speaking, both avoiding letting the opponent know what you were planning and allowing for faster commands to be given. However, it meant that the Pokemon and trainer would have access to each other's thoughts whenever, which could be uncomfortable at first for many. Ash knew it'd take time to get used to it but eventually it'd be second nature to him.

" _Your thought patterns stray does far from their original concept, it's highly amusing._ "

Ash jumped, nearly knocking the Psi Pokemon off his shoulder. He hadn't even felt her enter his mind there, which had shocked him the most.

"You scared the hell out of me," Ash told the psychic type, as he felt amusement in the back of his mind. This time he tried not to flinch as the psychic type's mind overlapped with his. She felt his discomfort once more, however, and pulled away with a few final words.

" _It seems you still are not ready for a bond like this, trainer. We will try again when you are ready,_ " Abra told him, before shutting off their connection.

Ash thought about her words for a moment on the road, the Abra motionless on his shoulder. After a few moments of pondering he came to a large building which stood out from the others in the outskirts of the city.

It was easily double the size of some of the houses either side of it with large, opaque windows situated in acres of grassy land; a nice contrast to the concrete jungle of the urban sprawl. A couple of Pokemon bounced around outside as a man took a few of them to the side and began to train them. Ash watched the man train the Pokemon for a few minutes before he was noticed by the man.

"Hey there! Welcome to Cerulean day-care!" He shouted across his land as he walked over, carrying a small, brown-furred Pokemon in his arms who nuzzled into his chest affectionately.

"Hey! Are these all your Pokemon?" Ash asked eagerly as he studied all the species around him. There were a few he recognised, namely the brown, fox-like Pokemon in his arms and the few starter Pokemon he had there; such as a Charmander and two Squirtles.

The man laughed to himself as Ash asked, as if he'd said joke before studying him. Ash noticed his gaze lingered on his Pokeballs on his waist for a moment, probably assessing if he was a trainer or not.

"Sorry to say they aren't all mine, although some of them I wish they were. Nah, the only Pokemon out here that is mine are these Pokeballs on my waist and this little Eevee here," he told Ash as the fox Pokemon yipped and nuzzled its trainer affectionately once again.

"All these other Pokemon are from trainers who've given them to me to train them, that's what my business is all about," he explained further after seeing the rookie trainer's quizzical expression.

"I see," Ash acknowledged as he stared at the Pokemon there. He presumed some of them were not from Kanto, like Larvitar, as he had no clue what species they were. At least with other Kanto Pokemon he had an inkling of what they were.

"So do you want to bring out your Pokemon? Maybe I could help you out like I am with these other trainers," the man questioned, excited at a potential deal in his business.

Ash thought about it before nodding. Having someone else train a member of his team for a while could be extremely beneficial whilst he was travelling. He could pick them up at any time and they could get valuable experience whilst not training with Ash.

"Alright! We may as well move inside whilst we're talking. So, my name is Abbott and you are?" he questioned as Ash removed his Pokeballs from his belt. The two of them stepped inside to the building, whose interior was decorated with training gear for Pokemon.

"My names Ash," he replied simply, not giving too much information to the man, who frowned slightly at his bluntness, before shaking it his and ignoring it in favour of seeing his Pokemon.

"Alright let's see your team!"

Abra teleported off Ash's shoulder and sat on the floor in front of him, still sleeping. Ash sweatdropped at his Pokemon's laziness but Abbott was impressed he'd managed to catch one of the psychic types.

Ash released his team. Larvitar blinked and rubbed his eyes as if he had just woken up, before staring at his trainer attentively.

Beedrill was next, the bug type buzzed, agitated, before hovering slightly in the air in front of Ash.

Beedrill as a species were known to be very aggressive, having high levels of testosterone pumping around in their ichor, which made them very hard to control. The day-care owner was impressed at the bug's obedience.

Ivysaur appeared a second later, staring around for a moment before bounding over to Ash and nuzzling his leg affectionately, to which the trainer patted her head and rubbed where her body became part of the bulb.

Ash looked around for a place to release Magikarp and noticed an empty aquarium to the side of the room. After gesturing to it and getting a nod of confirmation from Abbott, he released Magikarp into the tank.

The Fish Pokemon swam around in the tank, before head butting it gently when she saw Ash. Her trainer affectionately out his hand on the glass as the water type brushed her head against the layer between them as she let loose a few bubbles. Her eyes looked vacant but Ash knew the Fish Pokemon could remember all its surroundings from when he first obtained her with ease.

"That's a balanced team you've got there Ash," Abbott commented as he bent down and began to inspect all his Pokemon.

Abra was first, Abbott gave her a check over and studied the armour growing on her body before nodding and moving on. The Psi Pokemon didn't even react to his study, her only acknowledgement of his inspection was to teleport back onto Ash's shoulder as soon as he had finished.

Ivysaur was next. The day-care man inspected her bulb, which let out a lazy puff of pollen as he scratched around the base. After inspecting around the rest of the grass type's body he stepped back and left the Seed Pokemon to stare at him in curiosity.

Beedrill buzzed angrily as the day-care man got close, only to stop and allow himself to be inspected as Ash gave the bug type a glare. Abbott inspected the hard exoskeleton surrounding the bug type's soft insides before looking at the large stingers on its arms, which dropped venom as the bug type got agitated. The bug buzzed once more and Abbott took a respectful step backwards before moving on.

Magikarp was next and she was receptive to the man's attention. The Fish Pokemon enjoyed being stroked by Abbott and let of a couple of bubbles as she swam around happily. Ash internally cringed as he watched the interaction between the two.

He had never bonded as much with the water type as he'd have liked too, seeing as she was hind to use and find bodies of water for on the road. The rest of his Pokemon could be used whilst they fought through Mount Moon and anywhere on the routes, Magikarp relied on water. Ash knew he'd have to work harder to bond with her in the future, the water type deserved that much.

"I think I could teach your Magikarp a thing or two whilst you're on the road," Abbott said as he shot down Ash's ideas without even knowing. The rookie trainer internally frowned as he thought about what that would mean.

Magikarp would be left here in Cerulean whilst he explored the region. She'd get stronger sure, and maybe even evolve, but she'd miss out on being part of the team. Ash went to reject the deal but the day-care man started talking before he could.

"I'll make you a deal even," Abbott started as he scratched behind Eevee's neck, eliciting a purr of pure ecstasy from the normal type.

"I'll train your Magikarp from now until you reach your next city and you can see the progress. To be honest I don't reckon she'll need more than that before evolving, it's just her muscles need strengthening before she evolves," the man told Ash, who pondered over the idea.

He could be in Vermillion in a few weeks if he pushed himself, maybe even sooner. He could easily see what the effects of a few weeks with the day-care man would do and maybe it'd be enough for her.

Not to mention that strengthening her muscles would make evolution a lot less risky. Weak Magikarp that somehow made it too evolution could sometimes find that they lacked the muscle mass to move their gigantic bodies around, leaving them paralysed in their own bodies, slowly killing them in the worst cases. Whilst this most likely wouldn't be a problem for Ash's own, Gyarados could still be known to have problems with breathing and stamina after evolution if not strong enough.

"Alright, let's do it," Ash said with a confident nod. This would be best for Magikarp and it wouldn't be long, they'd be at Vermillion in no time.

"Ok then, we'll work out a price at Vermillion, I charge $100 a day. I can usually get in at least three hours a day of training on what she needs the most," Abbott assured him as he held out his hand, the which Ash handed over his Pokeball.

Ash looked worried as he gave him the Pokeball, thinking about how Magikarp would deal with another trainer. Abbott looked at him and gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry kid, your Magikarp will be fine with me," he assured as he patted Ash on the shoulder. The rookie trainer nodded as he walked over to Magikarp.

The Fish Pokemon swam excitedly around the tank as he got close, making Ash feel slightly guilty about what he was going to say.

"Hey Magikarp…" Ash said as the water type began to stop swimming in circles as stared at him from behind the glass.

"You want to get stronger and evolve, right?" Ash asked, leaving the question open. There was no hesitation from his Pokemon as she did a cartwheel in the water, excited at the mere prospect of becoming stronger.

Magikarp were a strange species in the way that until they are a few years, their brain capacity is small. Most Pokedex entries state that it's a miracle they survive their first few years because of how difficult it is for them to function, making them easy prey for others or being unable to find food. However, past that their brain function becomes highly developed and they can remember any even post this change with incredible accuracy. They could answer simply questions and even more complex ones as they get closer to evolution.

"That's what I thought," Ash replied with a smile before gesturing to Abbott behind him.

"Abbott here has offered to train you for a few weeks so you're ready to evolve, he wants to strengthen your muscles so that you're completely ready," Ash explained, being careful to talk as slowly as possible. Whilst their brains had developed to answer quick questions the species could still struggle with carrying out quickly spoken orders or questions, so Ash wanted to make sure that she got what he was saying.

The water type contemplated this for a bit before nodding in agreement. Ash took that as a good sign and put his hand into the large aquarium, stroking the tough scales of the fish and making the water type wriggle slightly at his touch.

"I'll see you in a week or two, be good for Abbott!" Ash said as he got up and walked towards the exit.

"Karppppp!"

Abbott smiled at the two before following Ash outside to give him some last-minute details.

"I'll put your number into my Pokedex so that you can call me whenever to check up on your Pokemon, also if you're unable to collect your Magikarp from here in Cerulean I'll be able to transfer it directly to your sponsor for you to collect later from them," Abbott summarised before scanning Ash's Pokedex with a small device.

The Pokedex beeped for a second as Abbot's number was registered, and Ash checked the details before stowing it away again.

"Alright! Thanks, Abbott I'll call you soon!" Ash said as he walked back to the centre of Cerulean, eager to get some rest and turn in for the night.

\- Flashback End -

That had left him with four Pokemon in his party; Larvitar, Beedrill, Ivysaur and Abra. The four of them were easily the strongest Pokemon he had on his team currently, each excelling in different areas.

Larvitar was by far the most physically strong out of all his Pokemon right now, and when under the influence of outrage, he could take on truly fearsome opponents which would tower over him in size. Ash was hoping he'd evolve soon though, as Larvitar was getting more frustrated as he slowly reached limit of his form, which could only be surpassed by becoming a Pupitar.

Beedrill wasn't far behind in terms of power, but he also had access to deadly toxins which could cripple his foes and turn a battle in his favour before it began. His small move pool made him not very versatile right now, but Ash knew he could remedy that with time.

Ivysaur was a powerhouse both physically and specially. With the use of her powerful vines the grass type could crack boulders and uproot small trees, and what she couldn't hit with her vines the Seed Pokemon could pepper with barrages of seeds or high doses of powders from her bulb which could poison, paralyse or even send her foes to sleep.

Abra hadn't been used in a battle yet, but from a few practice spars she had participated in with his other Pokemon, Ash could tell she was a natural. Her psychic abilities were still manifesting and could be very hit and miss. Any issues she was having right now could easily be sorted when she evolved into a Kadabra, which would lessen her need for sleep that hindered her training or further increase her psychic abilities.

Ash shook his head and sighed as he realised his thoughts had drifted again. He needed to stop monologuing his journey to himself…

The rest of Route 25 was uneventful, he fought against a few trainers but none posed a trainer.

Fisherman were littered around Nugget Bridge, catching water Pokemon and using them to fight. Most them caught Goldeen or Magikarp, most of which didn't pose a threat to Ash ever improving team.

Goldeen were water type's native to Kanto, who had small horns on their heads which could be used for ramming any opposition they came across. They were one of the only water type species to evolve a resistance to electricity, in the form of their lightning rod ability. However, they lacked versatility and couldn't fight on land; both of which had dissuaded Ash from sitting down with a fishing rod of his own and catching one.

And of course, Magikarp, Ash already knew what they could do. And considering most were poorly trained, most couldn't even use tackle, they didn't pose a tackle. They had potential of course, all their species did, but their trainers hadn't even come close to tapping into it.

Ash eventually came across a large house in the wilderness north of Cerulean, completely isolated. The back of it was only about a hundred metres or so from a rocky coastline, which had a small lighthouse situated on top of it.

The front door was open, and several Pokemon darted in and out of the property, although what surprised him was the small pink Pokemon standing near the doorway; a Clefairy.

The fairy types were incredibly rare in Kanto, having hidden themselves away in the Labyrinth of Mount Moon. Trainers would occasionally stumble across one of the elusive Pokemon, only to lose track of them on the winding tunnels that twisted through the mountain.

No, in most cases if you wanted a Clefairy then you'd have to know someone who bred the species or you could be spending years in Mount Moon catching one.

And with them easy being around ten kilometres from Mount Moon at the very least, to see a Clefairy out here was very odd.

Ash knelt in front of the little creature and reached out to pet its head, being as gentle as he could. Whilst they weren't known for being aggressive, any Pokemon had the capacity to injure a human, so he tried to be as careful as he could.

"Oi! Get off!"

Ash jumped back as he heard the voice shout at him, startling the rookie. He looked at the Clefairy in surprise. Did it just talk?

"Larvitar?" Ash asked to the rock type in his arms. The Rock Skin Pokemon just shrugged and narrowed its eyes and the Clefairy, clearly wary of it.

He reached down to pet the creature again, thinking his mind must have been playing tricks, only for the small Clefairy to push away his hand with its own and flap its arms angrily.

"Didn't you hear me the first time! Jeez," the Clefairy shouted again, thoroughly freaking Ash out.

"What the?!" Ash shouted as he stumbled backwards, dropping his Pokemon in shock. Larvitar bounced off the floor, landing on his hard skull, and whined as he rubbed his head in pain.

"How can you talk!" Ash continued, his voice still raised. The Clefairy rubbed the sides of its head where its ears were and looked up at him with annoyance.

"Because I'm not a Pokemon," the Clefairy told him as it crossed its stubby arms, or at least tried to. The result looked like it was simply pushing the two limbs together.

"My name's Bill and I own this place, and quite frankly I need your help," the Clefairy finished as it hopped up and down slightly. Ash sweatdropped at the Pokemon's antics before following the Clefairy through a through rooms into what looked like a messier version of Professor Oak's laboratory.

Books littered both the floor and the desks in the room, with bits of paper around discarded randomly. Heaps of electronics covered the desks, some of which sparked dangerously as he walked past. Finally, at the end of the room, two large pods could be seen propped up against the wall connected by a silver tube.

"Sorry about the mess, it's kind of hard to clear up when you've only got stubs for arms," Bill briefest apologised as he walked up to the pods on the back wall and hopping into the left one. The front of the pod immediately closed, leaving Ash alone in the room.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

Ash jumped as he heard Bill knock on the pod's wall from the other side, along with some faint whispering. Getting closer, Ash pressed his head up against the pod and could just about make out what Bill was saying from inside.

" _...my computer… activate…_ "

Piecing together what he had said, Ash walked over to the man's computer, left on one of the desks, and started to search the screen for any way to activate the pods.

The computer looked out of place in the laboratory, which its sleek finish and still relatively tidy appearance. It took Ash five minutes to find the batch file to run which activates the pods.

*VRMMMMM*

The pods began to hum as they flashed with orange and green light, pulsing erratically. The entire room began to shake and the technology began to activate and drain large amounts of power, causing the lights to flicker.

And then, slowly, a pulse of silver light began to travel across the silver tube which connected the pods. It pulsed slowly at first, creeping along the tube at a painfully slow pace. However, by the time it had reached halfway across it was going twice the speed and the pulsing had intensified, blinding Ash and forcing him to look away.

*DING*

The doors to the other pod swung open, nearly ripping themselves from the hinges, revealing a dishevelled man with messy brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses. His lab coat was crumpled and seemed to be covered in random splotches of liquid and burn marks.

"Thanks for helping me out there," Bill breathed as he hunched over and panted, as if he had just been running.

"I was pretty sure I'd be stuck like that until one of the gym leaders came over and visited," he continued after sucking in more air and regaining some composure.

"The gym leaders know you're out here?" Ash asked as he looked around the room. Bill had started to clean up the mess in the lab, and the heaps of paper on the floor were slowly getting cleared up.

"Ahh yes, yes. They come and visit every week or so and bring lunch with them occasionally, it's nice to break the isolation every now and again," Bill told him, his voice showing some boredom as he relayed his story.

"Char?"

Ash turned around as a large, red lizard came up behind him and prodded at his knee with its sharp claws. Its tail whipped around the lab, coming dangerously close to some of the paper work which was scattered on the floor still.

"Charmeleon! Keep your tail away from my research!" Bill cried out as he tried to pick up some of the paper around the lizard. Looking at the scientist with something akin to amusement, Charmeleon opened its mouth and yawned.

Before promptly blowing fire in Bill's face.

The scientist shrieked as his paperwork went up in flames and frantically tried to put out the flames which had started to singe his pale green hair.

"Charmeleon, you just toasted a month's worth of research…" Bill sobbed as he fell to the floor. The lizard simply looked at him with a smug grin across its face.

"Char," the Charmeleon stated as it crossed its arms and turned to face Ash. The raven-haired trainer took a step back as it looked at him curiously. Larvitar growled from his arms and Ash let him down to inspect the other Pokemon.

The two met for a moment and began to study each other, occasionally muttering under their breaths which neither Ash or the scientist could make out.

"Tar," Larvitar concluded as he spoke up, gesturing to Ash. The fire type slowly plodded over as Ash knelt to its level. If Larvitar let it get this close, then it couldn't be that bad.

"Hey, my name's Ash. Nice to meet you Charmeleon!" Ash exclaimed as he reached out to pet the fire type. The lizard looked at him with a slightly bored look in his face before too, blowing fire into his face.

Ash reeled backwards and fell onto his backside, coughing up soot from the flames. As he tried to rub most of the soot off his face, he felt a bony spine nuzzle into his side.

Charmeleon was rubbing its head up and down Ash's side as he fell over, which had surprised Bill, who hadn't warned Ash about the fire type's behaviour.

"That's the quickest I think I've ever seen Charmeleon warm up to someone," Bill told Ash as he looked at the fire type in awe. It was natural for the Charmeleon to release flamethrowers occasionally, it helped keep their airways clear by stopping them getting blocked up with soot and kept their fire organs functional inside their body. Charmeleon usually used his flames as a form of greeting to others, something which a couple of people and Pokemon didn't take to kindly.

"Amazing," Bill breathed as he looked at the two, he struggled to get Charmeleon to warm up to him on a good day and this trainer in front of him after meeting the lizard for the first time had managed to get on its good side in a matter of minutes

The trainer and the fire type stayed where they sat for a minute or two, Ash had managed to wipe most of the soot off his face and was starting to gently rub the Charmeleon's horn-like protrusion on the top of its head.

"You've got a real gift when it comes to bonding with Pokemon," Bill told Ash, who looked down at Charmeleon on his lap and smiled.

"Heh, thanks," Ash said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Bill studied him for a second before sitting down in front of him.

"So… Ash," Bill began as he recalled the trainer's name. Said trainer tore his eyes off the Chameleon who was lying its head in his lap and back to the scientist.

"You seem trustworthy enough, and Charmeleon has taken a liking to you… Do you want to help me out on a secret project I've been researching?" Bill asked as something at the back of his lab rustled.

Ash stared over at a pile of papers, littered in the back corner of the room, which shook a little. Then suddenly out popped an Eevee.

"Vee!"

"That's where you've been Eevee!" Bill cried out as he grabbed the small normal type and hugged it, making the Evolution Pokemon yip happily. The scientist continued to fuss over the Pokemon for a few more minutes before turning his attention back to Ash.

"Sorry, she tends to be extremely accident prone so I wanted to make sure she was ok," Bill explained as he held the fox-like Pokemon in his arms.

"Ahh, my friend Gary just got an Eevee," Ash supplied as he continued the conversation. Bill perked up at this and stared at him quizzically.

"Gary… Do you mean Gary Oak by any chance?" Bill queried as he continued to stroke Eevee.

"Yeah, we grew up toget-"

"So you're one of Samuel's new trainers!" Bill shouted excitedly, knocking over the pile of papers he had gathered as he flung out one of his arms in excitement.

"Why world…" Bill sobbed as he collapsed to the floor. Eevee jumps out of his arms and Ash could've sworn the small Pokemon sweatdropped at her trainer's antics.

"Vee…" it said before pawing at the scientist.

"Errr… you okay, Bill?" Ash asked as he looked at the man with an awkward smile. The scientist slowly got up, still sniffling.

"Y-Yeah…" he muttered as he looked down. Ash stared at the scientist for a moment before starting to pick up some of the loose papers.

"You don't have to, Ash!" Bill cried as he tried to stop the young trainer. Ash simply smiled and shook his head.

"Well I want to."

Bill's eyes widened before a grin appeared on his face. The two of them began to pick up the papers, organising them into tiny piles.

Eevee watched the two work from a distance, yipping cheerfully as she started to grab the faraway research papers and drag them closer to the two so they wouldn't have to move as far.

It'd be a couple of hours before they finished, and Eevee had already found another place to sleep. Somewhere much comfier than in those papers…

\- Two hours later -

"We did it!" Bill shouted as he fell backwards onto his back and simply laid there for a moment.

"You've done so much research Bill," Ash breathed as he too sat back down, his arms aching after hours of constant use. He'd been told by Bill about some of the experiments he had done as a scientist, a few of which had led to him collaborating with Professor Oak to create the new 'box' storage system and the Pokeball transporters trainers used every day.

Bill burst out laughing at this and looked at Ash seriously.

"That's not even a quarter of it. Most of my research is stored beneath us in my vault," he told the trainer, who looked at the stacks of organised paperwork in awe.

"Anyway, where's Eevee gotten too?" Bill asked as he stared around. Charmeleon was resting up in a corner with his tail on a heatproof blanket, stopping the flame from burning anything around it.

 _Eevee yawned as if snuggled up on the comfy interior of the machine. It was so warm in there and with the soft leather insides it made the fox sigh in ecstasy, content with her life._

 _She could hear her trainer ask where she was in the background but for now he could wait, she was enjoying sleeping here in that off machine he'd built._

 _She'd leave eventually, her beauty sleep was far more important._

"I'm sure she hasn't gotten far," Ash supplied as the scientist frantically ran around the lab shouting for her. As his body sagged the scientist sighed and looked around.

"You're probably right, hopefully she doesn't get into any more trouble," Bill sighed as he stopped searching for the normal type and instead walked over to a desk in the corner of the room. Opening a locked drawer on the side of the furniture, Bill began to rummage around inside the drawer before shouting "Aha!" and pulling out a crumpled piece of rectangular paper.

"Thanks for all your help today, Ash," Bill began as he walked back towards the trainer and held out the piece of paper. Ash hesitantly took the piece of paper and began to read it.

 _Eggs_

 _Milk_

 _Rawst berries_

 _..._

Ash sweatdropped at this and turned it around to face Bill, who read the piece of paper and snatched in back in embarrassment. He returned to the trainer and handed him a similarly sized piece of paper, although this felt slightly more rigid.

"A ticket for the S.S Anne!" Ash shouted in surprise as he looked at the ticket in his hands. The ticket would've been extremely expensive to acquire and could be worth hundreds of thousands to the correct buyer.

The S.S Anne was a recently built shop currently docked in Vermillion city that would be operating on routes between both different areas of Kanto and other regions. Tickets for its maiden voyage to Cinnabar island were reaching prices of up to $20,000 simply for a working-class ticket.

And Bill had just handed him a first-class ticket.

From what he had read on his Pokedex, the S.S Anne had everything a Pokemon trainer could possibly want on it. There was access to stores which had hard to find items, such as evolutionary items, and there would be a TM store on board.

Most TM stores only stockpiled a couple different types on TM, which made finding specific moves difficult to find and could be a pain to travel between. However, the S.S Anne was rumoured to have a store of every possible TM that a trainer could want, making it highly desirable to those that could afford the expensive CDs.

"I-I can't accept this," Ash said as he tried to hand back the ticket. Bill took a step back and gave the trainer an assuring smile before closing Ash's hand around the ticket.

"Technically you don't even need this, you can just scan the back of your ticket with your Pokedex and you'll get an electronic copy, it's probably better to store it like that anyway, and I don't need it. I'd rather stay here and finish me and Samuel's project; I can't go if I want it out in time for new trainer's next season," Bill explained as he turned around and looked at the fire type sleeping on his fireproof blanket in the corner.

"I also want you to take Charmeleon…"

Ash's eyes widened drastically as he went to refuse his offer. Giving him a practically priceless ticket was far more than enough for what he'd done a thousand times over, and then to give him a Pokemon on top…

"Before you refuse hear me out, Ash," Bill asked as he turned to look at the fire type behind them. The lizard was still fast asleep, its tail twitching occasionally as it dreamed.

"He hates it here," Bill started carefully, trying to keep his voice down to not disturb the sleeping Pokemon.

"The lab isn't a place for the Charmander line, they're born to battle and fly free, not stay cooped up inside a laboratory and occasionally wandering outside. He's stagnating here and he can't handle it," Bill told him as the Charmeleon started to stir.

Ash knew it was true, the Charmander line were built for fighting. They're strong bodies could lift weights far heavier than their own and their flames had been recorded to reach heats of up to a thousand degrees, perfect for roasting their opponents and reducing them to vapour.

But a Charizard had to stay active. Their flames needed to be in use constantly to maintain their power and without any usage of their flames they could be severely weakened. They had to keep battling to stay strong, there was never any rest for the species.

And with Charmeleon unable to brawl in the fragile environment of the lab it's power would have started to become affected by this.

Bill had recognised this but realised there was little he could do, until Ash showed up at least. Giving up his Charmeleon was hard for the scientist, but the fire type would be happier with the new trainer. He could battle and grow in strength rather than waste away in the laboratory.

"Char?" Charmeleon queried as walked over, its tail swinging from side to side with every step. Bill bent down the fire type and it begrudgingly allowed the scientist to rub its head. The fire type had never truly bonded with the man; they were simply too different.

Bill was a man of science, he preferred to research and find out what happened in the Pokemon world through facts and figures. Charmeleon just wanted to fight.

He wanted to feel the rush of battle and the earth around him bathed in his flames. He wanted strength, not knowledge of how the Pokemon world worked.

Charmeleon longed to be out in the real world away from science, and this new trainer could take him there. The lizard couldn't explain why he felt a pull towards this trainer, it just felt so natural, and he knew what this Ash could offer him. He could almost feel the rush of battle coursing through his veins already, and his flame grew slightly in size, not that the fire type noticed.

So, when Bill asked the fire type if he wanted to travel with this Ash trainer he immediately agreed. The fire type bounded over to Ash's side and immediately rubbed the trainer's leg with its bony crest, cheering in happiness. Of course, he didn't realise Bill's look of sadness as he was returned to his Pokeball, only Ash did.

"Are you sure it's ok to take him with me Bill? He's your Pokemon," Ash offered as he paused from taking the Pokeball off Bill for a moment. The scientist, however, pressed the Pokeball into his hand and gave a smile.

"It'll be quiet without him sure, but it's best for the both of us. And Charmeleon is your Pokemon now," Bill added with a reassuring grin. Ash took the Pokeball and said thanks once again, to which the scientist just waved him off.

"Now the S.S Anne is due to leave Vermillion city's port in just over a fortnight, so if you set off today you should be able to make there in time with a couple of days to spare," Bill offered as he looked around awkwardly.

"Thanks again, Bill," Ash said sincerely as he turned to leave the house.

"Anytime, be sure to tell the Professor how we can improve the box system!" he shouted back as Ash closed the door behind him, leaving the scientist to himself.

Bill stood in silence for a moment, the familiar crackle of an open flame now gone from the property. He smiled, however, and went to search the lab.

"Now where on earth did Eevee get too?" he said out loud as he began to search every book and cranny of the lab once again…

" **Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. It appears to be very vicious. With its razor, sharp claws, it attacks its opponents until they are defeated.**

 **This Charmeleon is male and has the ability: Blaze.**

 **Charmeleon knows the moves: Scratch, Smokescreen, Flame Burst, Fire Fang, Metal Claw and Dragon Rage.**

 **Egg moves are: Ancient Power, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush and Outrage.** "

\- Timeskip -

Ash walked through the grassy terrain of Route 6, scanning his surroundings. He'd faced a few trainers so far, but most weren't anything too challenging for him. They had a very small variety of Pokemon, mainly consisting of grass and normal types; nothing his newly obtained Charmeleon or Ivysaur couldn't handle.

He'd also switched his team up a little for whilst they were on the road, giving Nidoran some time to stretch his legs and battle more. The little poison was growing steadily and as both the horn on his and spines grew more pronounced, Ash could tell he was ready the next stage of his growth.

He'd switched out Abra for a while, to which the psychic type was not particularly happy about as Ash could tell when she projected her thoughts into his head, and Beedrill, which hadn't exactly gotten him on the big type's good side. However, it had been necessary and maybe some of the Pokemon at Oak's corral could teach him how to socialise with others more easily.

Pidgeotto had taken the wasp's place and was excelling at any battles Ash placed her in. Her speed was unmatched by many opponents and with her growing range of close quarters and long range attacks she was slowly becoming a very formidable fighter. Her fragility was starting to become an issue, however. Not everyone she fought against would go down in a couple of hits and if they got a lucky hit in her the battle could go downhill quickly. He needed to work on that but Ash wasn't sure what he could do to resolve it.

The trainer was drawn from his thoughts as his Larvitar took down a Butterfree owned by an opposing trainer, cracking its exoskeleton with a simple rock throw and kicking it out easily. His opponent, a young boy who had been camping out on the route, recalled his Pokemon in defeat and transferred him prize money for winning.

Ash wasn't too concerned right now, however, he'd already obtained more than enough money to last him a couple of weeks. His balance last time he'd checked was around $20,000, courtesy of the prize money he'd obtained from Cerulean gym, and considering he'd beaten most of the trainers he had come across on his way to Vermillion he was doing well money-wise.

There was a trainer also walking down the route that had challenged him with a Dodrio that wiped the floor with his Pidgeotto, but apart from that none of the trainers had stood out. There was one with an extremely strong Squirtle that gave his disadvantaged Charmeleon a tough time, but the fire type eventually pulled through with a dragon rage attack that cracked its shell.

And like Ash's Larvitar, the dragon had access to outrage, which when paired with the fire type's blaze ability, had made the Pokemon extremely aggressive and hard to control. Of course, like with Larvitar, he wasn't sure how to train Charmeleon in use of the move, as accessing the two's latent dragon energy seemingly made them less responsive to commands. He'd have to find a solution eventually, as being able to use the effects in battle made them monsters on the battlefield.

Vermillion wasn't too far away for Ash and his team now, only a day away at most, and then he could take on the Vermillion gym.

"Hmph, your Larvitar looks so weak," a voice said out of nowhere, startling Ash and making him spin around in surprise. To his right, amidst the trees, stood a familiar purple head of hair he hadn't seen in years… Not since the summer camp at Professor Oak's corral.

"Paul?" Ash asked out loud, making the boy roll his eyes and pull out a Pokeball.

"Let's see how much stronger you've gotten since last time, Ketchum. Three on three," Paul said as he got ready to battle.

"You're on!" Ash shouted as he got ready to battle, Larvitar standing by his side proudly.

"You first, Ketchum," Paul said as he waited for Ash to make his move. Ash gritted his teeth, the trainer obviously wanted a type advantage against him and so was getting ready to choose a suitable Pokemon.

He thought about his choices and what he knew about Paul's team. He recalled the trainer having a strong grass type when they first met all them years ago, a turtle like Pokemon with an earthen shell. Fighting against something like with the likes of Larvitar wouldn't turn out too well, especially if it had gotten stronger.

"Charmeleon, go, show them your power," Ash said as he released his newly acquired fire type, who snarled as he was released.

"Alright, Marill, get ready for battle," Paul shouted as a small, blue mouse materialised in front of him. Ash stared at it, trying to recall anything he could about the Pokemon.

Marill was a peculiar species of Pokemon in that their physical attacks would get greatly boosted by an ability they had called huge power. Huge power doubled the strength of their physical blows by making their muscles denser at birth, allowing the small mouse-like Pokemon to hit much harder than it should be able to. There were report of Marill's evolution, Azumarill, being able to punch through thick steel; something which many Professors across a multitude of reasons had concluded shouldn't have been possible.

"I'll take the first move, Marill aqua jet!" Paul shouted as the mouse burst forward with an explosion of water and crashed into Charmeleon, making the fire type bowl in pain and its skin sizzle as the water evaporated away.

Ash stared at the mouse curiously. Aqua jet wasn't usually a move that Marill could learn naturally and there wasn't a TM for it either, meaning that Paul had been working on getting the water type to use its egg moves.

"Charmeleon! Retaliate with a dragon rage!" Ash shouted as he started to devise a strategy in his head.

"Waterfall, don't stop until it's down," Paul said emotionally as the water mouse barrelled into Charmeleon and began to attack it with bursts of water from its stubby arms. A giant spiral of water flew up from beneath Marill and propelled it further forward, its blows smashing into Charmeleon with painful cracks.

"Charmeleon! Use ancient power and get some space between you both!" Ash shouted as the battle shifted once more. Gritting its teeth in pain as more blows rained down upon the fire type, Charmeleon sent a silver orb of energy into the ground and a spike of earth rose beneath Marill, sending the water type sprawling backwards as it was hit with the attack.

"Alright, now dragon rage and follow up with a flame burst!" Ash shouted frantically. He was praying that flame burst could maybe burn the opponent, as then its physical ability would be greatly hindered. The Marill cried out in pain as the dragon rage connected and then it was engulfed in flames, leaving it twitching as its body was set on fire.

Luckily, for the water type at least, Marill had thick layers of fat surrounding their bodies that meant fire and ice type attacks would do less damage, as they couldn't get any heat through to the important tissues below. However, being burnt still hurt and the water type couldn't help but wince as it tested swinging its stubby arms once again. Charmeleon grinned viciously as his maw was coated in flames and he lunged forward without any commands from Ash and bit the water type. It cried out in agony as Charmeleon thrashed its head from side to side, knocking the water type out as the damage became too much.

Paul snorted and said nothing as he recalled the water type, merely looking at the Pokeball in disdain before throwing out his next Pokemon.

It was clearly an electric type, judging from the bolts of electricity that ran between the two antennae on its head. Its bulky arms whirred around as it charged up more electricity.

"Elekid, knock out the overgrown lizard," Paul stated, making Charmeleon growl in anger. Before Ash could give it a command, the fire type ran forward, its claws glowing a metallic grey as it swiped at the electric type. However, the electric type merely dodged out of the way, smirking as Charmeleon's claws embedded themselves into the dirt where it was standing.

"Thunder shock, follow it up with a brick break," Paul commanded as the Elekid let loose a bolt of electricity, which struck Charmeleon and made it spasm as the impulse went through his nervous system. The Electric Pokemon charged forward, its arm glowing with white energy, and struck Charmeleon, making it double over in pain.

"Charmeleon!" Ash cried out as he watched his Pokemon groan in pain and shakily stand on its feet, only to straighten back up again as it became enveloped in an aura of draconic energy. Outrage had activated again and given Charmeleon a boost when his energy was low.

"Alright, use dragon rage!" Ash shouted as the fire type ran forward with a glowing ball of blue energy in his mouth. Elekid tried to run away from the overpowered attack but was sent back as the sphere in Charmeleon's mouth exploded and hit it with a burst of draconic energy. The powerful attack sent the electric type sprawling, nearly knocking it out.

"Alright, Elekid, use thunder shock again," Paul ordered, gritting his teeth in frustration. The electric type buzzed angrily and released another bolt of lightning, which zapped Charmeleon and made it stagger slightly.

Without any extra instructions, Paul's Elekid ran forward and slammed a glowing fist, a brick break attack, into Charmeleon's abdomen. The fire type was down almost instantly afterwards, its reactions too slowed by fatigue to counter to move. The damage it had taken against a Pokemon that was super effective against it was too much for the fire type and the electric type hadn't experienced the Flame Pokemon's true battling ability.

That wasn't too say Elekid wasn't tired though, it had been burnt and slashed by Charmeleon a few times and each hit seemed to slow it down even more each time. It was standing on shaky legs now and wouldn't last much longer.

"Okay, Nidoran, you're up!" Ash shouted as he tossed the poison type's Pokeball out and released the small rodent onto the field. The Poison Pin Pokemon looked around for a moment before the sharp barbs extended out of its armour and started to drop with venom.

"Elekid, damage it with a thunder shock, stay far away," Paul told his Electric Pokemon emotionlessly. The electric type whirred its arms and began to fire of bolts of lightning which weakly fizzled through the air. The rectory was clearly on its last legs and wasn't dealing too well with the prolonged battle.

The Elekid family were generally known for lightning fast speed and sheer destructive power that they commanded both up close and away from their opponents. They had access to a range of techniques which would devastate unprepared opponents. However, the species lacked stamina which was required in many prolonged battles.

If a Pokemon could withstand their sheer destructive force for a while, without recharging the electric type with electricity, then a member of the Elekid family would start to run out of energy very quickly. The evolution into an Electivire somewhat remedied that as the Pokemon could then draw electrical currents out of the air and their opponents to recharge themselves in battle, but if they didn't have access to that the electric family could be in for a tough time.

"Dodge it, knock away any close shots with poison sting!" Ash shouted as he tried to stall out the electric type. Nidoran easily dodged with its small body, hopping in between bolts of electricity and firing off small needles loaded with venom whenever he got the chance.

A few needles grazed Elekid's tough skin, poisoning it and making it slow down even more, eventually making it stop and pant in exhaustion.

"Ele," Elekid began as it angrily glared at Nidoran. Without warning it rushed forward with its arm glowing once again and tried to smash into Nidoran, trying to hit it with a brick break.

Ash went to shout a command but Nidoran beat him too it, flinging away the electric type with a burst of psychic energy, a confusion attack, and jumping high up in the air. This time the poison type's feet flowed as it kicked the Elekid and sent it impacting into the earth in a cloud of dust.

"Get up Elekid," Paul growled as his electric type struggle to its feet. It charged at Nidoran, stumbling on the way, as its injuries caught up to it. Ash looked at the Pokemon with pity before asking Nidoran to finish it.

The rodent's horn glowed an outstanding white as it charged into the electric type, knocking it off its feet and slamming it, prongs first, into a nearby tree. It stayed there, lodged in the tree, not even struggling as it was knocked out cold.

"Tch," Paul tutted as he returned the Pokemon and got out his final Pokeball. He released the Pokemon inside, which Ash regarded with surprise.

It looked like the grass type Paul had from all those years ago had evolved. The hard shell of earth it had on its back previously had grown larger, encasing the much larger Pokemon from the base of its neck to its rear now, and two small tufts of greenery sprouted from either side of where the shell ended. Its lower jaw was a bright yellow and looked as if it could easily snap through thick branches and its feet were sturdy in the ground, covered in earthen armour.

"Grotle, stand by for battle," Paul told it as the grass type crouched low, lowering its centre of gravity in preparation for an attack.

"Poison sting, Nidoran! Don't let up!" Ash shouted as the rodent let loose another volley of poisonous barbs from its body, which each struck Grotle, making the grass type wince in pain. However, it shrugged the attacks off seconds later, looking as if it hadn't even taken damage. It had felt it for sure, but it certainly hadn't caused any lasting damage.

"Retaliate with razor leaf, then get in close and drain it," Paul told the huge grass type. Grotle shook its entire body, releasing razor sharp leaves from the bushes on either side of its armour and sent them flying at Nidoran. The rodent tried to dodge them but was hit by a stray few, drawing blood from the sharp gashes they left on the rodent's side.

"Nido, Nido," it whimpered as a thin trickle of blood started to ooze out of the cut as make its way down the Pokemon's side. Ash gritted his teeth in frustration as he looked at the damage Nidoran had taken. The rodent snarled at the Grotle and Ash watched as its barbs began to ooze even more toxic chemicals that glistened in the sunlight.

"Nidoran, get in close and use peck! Then push it away with confusion," Ash shouted as the poison type ran forward. Its horn became coated in a light blue energy as it was rammed into Grotle, making it cry out in pain for a mere second before it returned to normal, its tank-like battling style helping it to stay standing. Nidoran tried to follow up with a confusion attack, only to realise that Grotle was too heavy for the small rodent to move, instead on making it unsteady on its feet. Nidoran's psychic abilities were limited at best and wouldn't be able to budge the grass type, making the move almost redundant in the current battle.

"Grotle, distract it with a razor leaf whilst you use synthesis," Paul said with a smirk, making Ash's face drop and annoyance set in. Synthesis was essentially another form of recover, it turned energy from the sun into energy for the Pokemon to use to regenerate damaged tissues. As Grotle used the move it began to glow a vivid green as the bushes on its back began to photosynthesise.

"Nidoran peck!" Ash shouted frantically. However, Grotle had already finished the healing move as rammed its hard skull into the rodent, making it fly backwards and land onto a tree.

Nidoran groaned as he pulled himself off the tree, snapping some of the spines on his back in the process. That wasn't a worry for the poison type, they'd grow back in a day at the most.

"Energy ball," Paul commanded almost emotionlessly as Grotle began to gather natural energy within its jaws. The powerful attack began to get condensed into a ball-shape before being fired off, leaving a trail of celadon-green light in its wake. The powerful attack collided with Nidoran, who was blown backwards into the ground due to the sheer power.

Nidoran shook his head to stave off the growing pain it was feeling as it charged again. Grotle once again head butted it away, leaving the rodent in the grass, panting heavily. Ash didn't even have time to call out another command as Nidoran ran forward again, slowed even further by pain, as it tried to use peck against the grass type. Grotle merely grunted as it rammed the poison type harder, finally knocking it unconscious. However, as it did so, more of Nidoran's barbs entered its hide, injecting more venom into its veins. The grass type shuddered as its legs buckled slightly under the pain.

"Good job Nidoran," Ash whispered as he pocketed the Pokeball. The poison type had done its job effectively and worn down the grass type enough so that it'd be easy to take down now.

Ash pulled out another Pokeball, eager to give another of his Pokemon a battle that'd stretch them a little; give them a challenge.

"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he released the bird onto the battlefield. Pidgeotto shrieked loudly as she landed on the battlefield, blowing strong gusts across the field as she landed. The flying type immediately began to preen itself, cleaning any dirt out of its wings and scratching the ground with her talons.

"Alright, Pidgeotto, start this off with an air slash!" Ash shouted as the bird released two sharp blades of wind towards Grotle. The grass type cried out for the first time as one of the tufts of shrubbery on its back was severed, leaving a budding stump in its place. Paul gritted his teeth as his Pokemon was battered by the other wind blade, leaving a sharp cut into its thick earthen shell.

"Grotle, synthesis and leech seed," Paul commanded as he tried to recover his Pokemon's precious stamina. Leech seeds fired from its remaining shrub on its back, exploding into a mass of vines mid-air as they tried to entangle Pidgeotto and bring her to the ground, but they were too slow to keep up with the speedy bird.

"Keep it up with them air slashes!" Ash shouted as Grotle flinched from another hit, halting is leech seeds. Synthesis had started to work but it was too slow to recover from the damage that the grass type has sustained. Pidgeotto shrieked as she released another wave of wind blades that tore into the grass type. Before long the turtle was reduced to an unconscious mass on the floor that groaned slightly as it breathed. Blood trickled from small cuts in its skin where the armour hadn't protected it and Ash winced as he saw the damage. Pokemon could be ruthless sometimes.

Paul didn't even comment as he returned Grotle, his eyes closed as he thought. After a moment or two of thinking the trainer dug around his pocket and pulled out a CD that shined in the sunlight. Without hesitation, he tossed the CD into the grass nearby Ash and started to walk away.

"That TM contains energy ball. Maybe you could find some way to use it. See you around," Paul finished as he walked off, leaving Ash on his own. The trainer stood there silent for a moment before picking up the TM and staring at it. Placing it into his TM case, Ash decided to look at all the TMs he'd collected so far, which was a surprising amount.

Rock tomb hadn't been a particularly useful move for Ash, seeing as rock slide was slightly more powerful and could easily be utilised in comparison.

Incinerate was similar in that the Pokemon who could learn it, Charmeleon, simply had access to a stronger move in flame burst. What would be the point in using it if Charmeleon could access far more fire power?

Icy wind had potential, it could be used strategically to slow opponents and leave them more open to attacks as their reactions slowed. However, no one on Ash's team could learn it right now. Nidoran and Magikarp would be able to when they evolved, although Ash felt the two were more suited to being forces of destruction rather than a subtler touch to take down opponents.

Scald was a strong move, the scalding water was extremely effective against physical fighters, who risked a burn if hit with the move. But once again, the move wasn't compatible with his team currently, he'd have to work on increasing his coverage in the future for sure.

Energy ball, that Paul had just given to him, was once again an extremely powerful move. It drawer on the natural energy surrounding them and used it to power the attack. Ivysaur could learn the attack for sure, seeing as it was a grass type move, and would most likely get a lot of use out of the string move. Abra could also learn how to manipulate nature energy, although it would be harder for the psychic type to work with, so Ash wanted to work on that before he used the TM on the Psi Pokemon.

However, he was planning on teaching it to Ivysaur right now.

He recalled the grass type to her Pokeball and slotted it into the TM case. Turning it on, he selected the energy ball disc and began the uploading sequence.

Technical machines uploaded information directly to a Pokemon's brain, allowing to learn moves that they had the capacity for but couldn't learn naturally. As Ivysaur's Pokeball glowed a cerulean green and the TM case's screen indicated that the uploading sequence had completed Ash removed the Pokeball and released the Seed Pokemon.

Ivysaur looked around, alert as ever, before sliding into a more relaxed stance as she realised there were no threats nearby. Ash knelt and began to scratch the grass type's head as she nuzzled him affectionately, growling at his touch.

"Hey girl, can you use that move for me you just learnt?" Ash asked as the grass type began to stop growing and recalled the information just given to her. She took a few steps away from Ash before opening her mouth, a small green ball of energy formed between her jaws. It fizzled slightly before going out, making the grass type wilt slightly at the failure.

Technical machines only gave them the information to use the moves, Pokemon needed to finesse and master them with their own experience and practice.

"Keep it up girl, you'll have it nailed in no time," Ash said encouragingly. Ivysaur grunted in acknowledgment and tried again and Ash, seeing how focused the grass dinosaur was, decided she could stay out of her Pokeball and get some practice in.

Ash looked at his next TM and got out two Pokeballs. Aerial Ace was a strong move, it gave Pokemon access to a level of accuracy that was a struggle to match. Along with being a strong move in the first place, that would help both his Pidgeotto and Beedrill hit a lot harder than they already did, it would provide for coverage for his bug type Pokemon, which couldn't do any harm to his team. Coverage was an area where he was currently lacking after all.

So, Ash used his technical machine case once again, the Pokeballs glowing a sky blue as the move integrated itself into his Pokemon's brains, allowing them to access the insanely accurate move.

Releasing the two, Ash allowed Pidgeotto to experiment with aerial ace first, in which her attack easily sliced through a nearby tree. The move was based on reaching high speeds, which the flying type managed easily with her lithe form and powerful wings.

Beedrill, however, struggled more with the move, buzzing angrily as it failed to work up enough speed. Ash also noticed the loss of power due to Beedrill's poor flight manoeuvrability, something he'd have to work on much more in the future. However, for now he'd simply allow his Pokemon to train on the way to Vermillion and hopefully, by the time they got to the coast-side city, his team would've perfected the moves.

\- Meanwhile at Indigo -

"Charizard, dragon claw," Red calmly commanded as his fire type barrelled into his opponent, a hulking Machamp, and slash its claws coated in draconic aura across the fighting type's chest, making it wince in pain. The fire type glowed with draconic aura as the effects of outrage took hold and boosted the Flame Pokemon's power even further. Charizard snarled as it suppressed its growing rage from the move and stood by, waiting for a command.

"Machamp! Thunder punch!" Red's opponent, Bruno, shouted out gruffly as his fighting type's fist sparked with electrical energy and it bathed forward at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for the hulking fighting type.

Charizard merely grunted as it took the super effective attack head on, and blasted an overpowered flamethrower at Machamp in retaliation. Due to its own use of fire type moves, Machamp barely felt the flamethrower, growling as the inferno washed over its reptilian features before smashing a fist into the fire type's body. Charizard, once again, didn't even flinch as it was hit by the bone shattering blow and struck Machamp with another outrage-boosted dragon claw. This time the fighting type didn't get up, collapsing to the floor unconscious as its injuries finally prevailed over the fighting type's willpower.

Bruno recalled his starter Pokemon and readied his final Pokeball. The older man smirked as he released his last Pokemon and shouted across to the Champion. The Pokemon, meanwhile, got ready to battle, its lithe body slunk into a battle stance as the long ears on its head began to raise. A shining stone glowed from around its neck, which Red recognised and grinned. The battle was about to get serious.

"Lucario hasn't been with me for as long as the rest of my team, but he's got that fighting spirit that you saw back when we first fought," Bruno shouted as he pressed a button on his belt, causing tendrils of pure energy to connect both the fighting master and his Pokemon, who was shining with raw power and it connected with the stone glowing around its neck.

"Show them your power Lucario!" Bruno shouted as the light dispersed, revealing Lucario's changed form.

Red patches of fur now also covered its body along with the blue fur, and the ear on its head had grown larger, giving a wilder appearance. The spikes on his hands had grown larger and from where Red was standing, using his own limited powers of aura, could feel the Pokemon's aura heighten dramatically.

"Well if you're going to step it up, I guess it's only fair I do too," Red told him with a smirk as he tapped the stone embedded into his hat. It glowed with power as it reacted to the stone around his Charizard's neck, engulfing the fire type in a similar light. Blue fire burst from the lizard's body as it was surrounded by an inferno. Its scales hardened even more and became a midnight black as its eyes changed from a bright blue to a more menacing red.

"Let's see how you handle our heat, Charizard, fire blast!"

And the field was engulfed in fire.

\- A Week Later -

"Machop! Karate Chop!" Ash shouted as the Superpower Pokemon lunged forward and slammed its glowing fist into the steel shell of a Magnemite. The electric type whirred for a moment before the sheer force of the attack sent it into unconsciousness. Machop banged his hands against his chest as he celebrated, the other trainer recalled his Pokemon and sneered at Ash.

"Maybe you're not so weak after all," he sneered as a trainer to his side got slightly closer towards the back wall.

"Do you think we should call Surge? He said to call if we got any strong trainers," the other trainer said, waiting for confirmation.

"Well, looks like the runt might be able to give me a challenge after all."

A man walked out from a room to the side of the gym, clapping his hands sarcastically at Ash, who looked at the man cautiously.

The guy was insanely muscled, not as heavily set as Bruno but still muscular enough to be just as intimidating. Blonde hair rose from the top of his head in short, carefully- maintained spikes and sunglasses were perched on his face, obscuring his eyes to the rest of the rooms occupants. He wore dark green cargo pants and a tank top that barely covered his huge frame.

Ash chose to say to say nothing to the man's jibe, making him laugh loudly.

"Got nothing to say kid?" He jeered as he walked over to one side of the battlefield. The young trainer, once again, didn't say a word as Machop walked from Ash's side to stand on the battlefield. Surge readied his own Pokeball and released what was inside.

"Let's see if the little runt can handle our thunder," Lieutenant Surge grinned maliciously.

It was going to be one hell of a battle.

\- Earlier -

Ash stumbled back into Vermillion City exhausted, his supplies thoroughly drained and his Pokemon just as tired (if not more so) than their trainer.

They'd trained extensively for the past week in the wilderness surrounding Vermillion, preparing themselves for the battle against Lt Surge, only coming back to the city to heal up at the overcrowded Pokemon Centre.

The gym leader was known for his gruelling battle style that had left many Pokemon hospitalised in the nearby Pokemon Centre. Nurse Joy, the first-time Ash had met her, was struggling to keep up with the workload. Apparently, per Nurse Joy at least, it was due to Lt Surge having to give out tickets for the S.S. Anne if anyone beat him.

And Surge couldn't just let anyone have a ticket, so he'd stepped up his game.

He used stronger Pokemon than what he usually did, was more ruthless with his tactics, and he wasn't afraid to play the long game with paralysis. Ash had seen some of the Pokemon that had come in from their gym battles and cringed at their injuries. Slash marks, electrical burns and blue bruises covered the Pokemon; who were all clearly unconscious.

Ash knew he'd need to step up his game if he wanted to even get a chance at beating Lt Surge, even if he didn't want a ticket.

Dragging himself from his thoughts, Ash became more alert as he heard the low growls of a Pokemon nearby. He withdrew one of his Pokeballs, Ivysaur's, in case they were aggressive and attacked.

The growls slowly turned to whimpers as Ash turned around a corner, entering a dark alleyway.

The walls were covered in grime and Ash was barely able to see the wall beneath the coat of dirt. Trash was littered across the entrance to the alleyway, blocking off the easy route into the alley, and sharp glass and metal could be seen in amongst bags of rubbish. Ash looked through a crack in the wall of rubbish, coming face to face with a ball of sludge with beady eyes. The trainer jumped backwards, shocked at the encounter before realising it was only a Grimer.

The poison type stared at him for a moment later, before ignoring him and continuing to chow down on the leftover waste.

Ash froze as he heard the cry again, this time much louder, which he pinpointed to somewhere down the enclosed alley somewhere. He looked around, making sure he was on his own, before taking a deep breath and readying himself…. before climbing up the rubbish.

He lost his footing many times, slipping on muck or dislodging trash as he put his weight on it. The trainer cursed as his hand grasped something mucky, making him slip and nearly fall off the rubbish barricade.

Eventually, he made it to the top, covered in grime. The trainer cringed as he looked down at himself before running down the other side into the alley.

Even on a sunny day in the bustling city it was insanely dark in there. The shady gap between buildings was infested with Pokemon that dwelled in the dark; Zubat and Grimer to name a few. As Ash walked further in he noticed a dumpster to his side shake slightly and another pained moaned coming from nearby.

He got closer, creeping around the edge of the dumpster to come face to face with a small, humanoid creature.

Its grey skin was covered in sweat as it panted heavily, its red eyes unfocused on the wall in front of it. Three brown ridges stuck out of its head and it had rib-like markings down either side of its chest. And down the centre of its chest was one of the largest gashes Ash had ever seen.

Ash pulled out his Pokedex before getting closer, scanning the Pokemon in front of him. He also had a potion on hand, to see if he could help the injured creature.

" **Machop, the Superpower Pokemon. A Machop's muscles are special in that they never tire, allowing it to train without stopping. Machop's body is pure muscle and it can easily throw a hundred fully grown adults**

 **This Machop is male and has the ability: Guts.** "

"Whoa," Ash breathed as he looked at the small Pokemon in front of him. Machop couldn't have been much taller than his pectoral muscles at a stretch as to contain so much raw power was incredible.

However, compared to the Pokedex image, this Machop was in bad shape. The cut on its chest wasn't bleeding very heavily, although it looked insanely painful. Unscrewing the cap off the potion, Ash sprayed the wound as best as he could. The fighting type looked at him, too tired to move.

"Abra, what happened here," Ash asked as he released the small psychic type. The Psi Pokemon didn't even react as she looked at the fighting type, her body glowing with blue, psychic energy.

After a moment, the psychic shuddered, the first emotion Ash had seen her display since being released and turned to face Ash.

" _He was abandoned after his trainer lost to the gym leader. They didn't even take him to the Pokemon Centre, he's still feeling the effects of his gym battle,_ " Abra said, anger creeping into the usually quiet psychic type's voice.

Ash had recently started attempting to use telepathy with her and he was still getting used to the feeling. Abra wasn't the best at it yet and her voice would echo occasionally as she struggled to control her powers, but there was clear progress and Ash knew it'd easily come in time. He planned eventually to use it in battle, as it allowed for the both to react quicker and stopped their opponents from knowing what they would do.

"How long's he been here?" Ash asked, worry creeping into his voice. He picked up the fighting type, which struggled in his arms slightly before giving it and started to walk towards the garbage blockade that covered the entrance.

" _This is the third day…_ " Abra replied as he withdrew another Pokeball from his belt.

"Pidgeotto, help us out!" Ash shouted as he released the bird, who shrieked as she was released. The flying type affectionately pecked at his hat for a moment before hopping back.

"Pidgeotto, I need you to get Machop out of the alley, we'll meet you on the other side," Ash told the bird as he positioned the fighting type on her back, the flying type cooed in response and started to ascend above the buildings, before landing on the other side.

Ash turned to Abra and gently held onto the psychic type's shoulder before he felt a familiar pull in his gut and fell over, sunlight burning his eyes as he came out of the darkness.

Teleportation wasn't the most pleasant experience Ash had decided as he landed on his back with a groan. Abra had offered to try it on the road to Vermillion nearly a week ago and the Psi Pokemon had nearly teleported them all the way back to Cerulean. It had taken the psychic hours, in which Ash spent the most of it feeling like he was going to hurl, to regain enough energy to teleport them close to where they originally started. Once again, there'd been progress, Abra was now much more accurate over short distances; but anything more than that would have to wait until she had evolved.

Getting up and brushing himself off, Ash ran over to Pidgeotto, who'd gently lowered Machop off her back and onto the ground. He thanked the bird quickly and returned her to her Pokeball, in too much of a hurry to do much else. Ignoring the oncoming feeling of nausea, he managed the hoist up the Superpower Pokemon and start hauling him towards the Pokemon Centre.

"Abra, help me lift him," Ash asked as he pulled the fighting type along, who was still struggling and making it even harder for Ash to drag him along. Almost immediately a blue glow surrounded the Machop and the weight immediately lessened, making it a lot easier for Ash to pull Machop along.

Abra hovered behind him as Ash made his way to the Pokecenter. She sat with her legs crossed, eyes closed, as she levitated behind him; covered in the light blue glow that came with the use of her psychic powers.

It took them nearly a quarter of an hour from the edge of the city, and by the end Ash was panting in exhaustion, thoroughly exerted as the Pokemon Centre's doors swung open automatically and a worried Nurse Joy rushed out with a Chansey behind her pushing a trolley.

"Emergency! Please make way!" the older woman shouted as she ran through the building, trainers clearing out of her way as Chansey waddled on behind her, trying to keep up. Ash followed her through to an emergency room, where Machop had already been hooked up to an IV drip and was being administered high doses of hyper potion.

"I'm sure your Machop will make a quick recovery," the Nurse told him as she continued to work. Ash stood there for a second, trying to think about how to inform her of the fighting type's situation.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but that Machop isn't mine, I found him abandoned in the outskirts of town," Ash told her. The red-haired woman's eyes widened in shock before left the room, leaving Ash there, with his Abra on his shoulder, watching Chansey work on Machop. The egg in its pouch glowed yellow as she raised her arms over Machop before the fighting type too, was engulfed in a yellow light and the wound on his chest began to close.

"Amazing," Ash breathed as he watched the healing. It was over in a matter of minutes as Chansey's soft-boiled move, coupled with the hyper potion infusion, began to take effect. Machop began to groan as the wound fully closed, not even leaving a scar.

"Alright, I've got the forms!" Nurse Joy proclaimed as she burst into the room, carrying in a small wad of paperwork. Ash looked at her quizzically, as the Nurse started to elaborate.

"I figured you'd want to adopt Machop, no? I mean, if you aren't going to take him then we'd have to put him up for adoption," Nurse Joy explained.

The young trainer thought about it for a minute before beginning to sign the forms. He wanted to make sure the fighting type was with a trainer who could care for it, not someone who'd abandon it like his last trainer.

The Machop family were an incredibly hardy species of Pokemon, their bodies were at their physical peaks and not many Pokemon could match them in terms of raw strength. Machop's final evolution, Machamp, could also throw over a thousand punches in a second using its raw speed and power; making it an incredibly hard hitter.

The fighting type would be a great addition to his team, and Ash would make sure he got the care he needed.

\- Vermillion Gym -

"You ready, Machop?" Ash asked as Surge released his first Pokemon. Machop growled and lifted his fists, ready for a battle. This time the fighting type would take the victory against the Gym Leader.

The referee cleared his throat as he looked at the two battlers; Gym Leader and trainer. He noticed the tension in the air and raised his flags, already knowing the battle would be an intense one.

"Begin!"

\- End of Chapter -


End file.
